I Hate You, Let's Get Married
by Miyako Tsubaki
Summary: AU An arranged marriage was all they needed to bring them back together after 7 years. 7 years of silence, 7 years after Rukia's sister had died. How will they cope with this new predicament? How will they react to the change in each of their personalities? Ichiruki, Uliquihme and implied Hitsukarin. Slight OOCness and short chapters. Based on a high school life.
1. Chapter 1

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: First Bleach fanfiction ever. I hope it's up to your expectations. Also thanks for clicking on this story and giving it a go. I appreciate that kind of thing. Sorry for grammatical and spelling mistakes.  
**

Chapter 1- Marriage?! Ichigo and Rukia!? Impossible!

- Rukia's POV -  
"Kuchiki-sama, It is time to wake up for school." My eyes slowy fluttered open at the sound of my personal maid, Hikari. The sunlight came in as Hikari opened the curtains around the room, one by one. I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes and stretching my arms. After my eyes had adjusted to the sudden light, I glanced at Hikari, who was preparing my uniform.  
"It's alright, Hikari, I can do it myself." Hikari looked up at me.  
"B-But, I could never let someone as important as you do something like this." I got out of bed and walked towards her. I gently place my hand on both of hers.  
"It's okay. I'm not that useless." Hikari flinched at my sudden action.  
"I-I didn't mean it like that! I just. . ." She bowed, removing her hands from under mine.  
"I am very sorry, Kuchiki-sama."  
"I said to stop calling me that, didn't I?"  
"I cannot possibly do that."  
I watched as she walked out of my room and smiled as she looked back with a concerned face.  
"Breakfast will be served in 15 minutes. Kuchiki Byakuya-sama would like your prescence in his office, as soon as you finish eating. Please call me if you need anything, Kuchiki-sama" I nodded and once she closed the door, I started getting ready for the day ahead of me.

- After Breakfast -  
I walked up the stairs and towards nii-sama's office with a very content and full stomach. I knocked twice on the door and waited.  
"You may come in, Rukia." I opened the door to find nii-sama at his desk as usual, filling out paperwork for the Kuchiki Business, which he just took over last week. I bowed and closed the door. I walked over to his desk, nervously. It's not that I was scared of nii-sama or anything, it's just that he rarely speaks to me unless it was a serious matter.  
"What is it that you need me for, nii-sama?" I watched as nii-sama placed his pen down gracefully. _Is everything he does, done gracefully?!  
_"Rukia. I am sure you are aware of the Kurosaki Family?"  
"Yes. The one that owns that large hospital and is famous for it's excellent medical. . . err stuff?" Nii-sama frowned at my informality, but quickly put his cold facade back on.  
"Correct. Do you remember Kurosaki Ishiin?"  
"Yes, he used to give me candy whenever we visited nee-san. He is the head right?"  
"Yes. You also remember his son, Kurosaki Ichigo?" I flinched at the name, but kept my composure.  
"Yes. We used to play together during our visits to nee-san."  
"Then it would be easier for this to work since you have already bonded with him."  
"What would be easier, nii-sama?" I felt as if I would dread what he said next. I was completely right.  
"Kurosaki Ishiin and I have discussed about the Kuchiki Business buying the Kurosaki Hospital. Kurosaki Ishiin has agreed to this contract, but has his own conditions. 1) Allow Kurosaki Ishiin to continue being the Head Doctor, 2) Allow all rules and regulations of the hospital to be kept the same, and last of all, 3) Force Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia into marriage. In other words, once you become of age, you will offically be married to Kurosaki Ichigo." I stared at nii-sama for a moment. Suddenly, reality sank in.  
"EHHHHHH!?"  
"You are marrying Kurosaki Ichigo."  
"WHAT!?"  
"That is all. Now hurry and go to school." I just stood there, staring at him as if he was crazy. I then realized that I was a high school student and that I should be going to school, not standing there gaping at him.  
"Y-Yes, nii-sama"

* * *

- Kurosaki Hospital, Ishiin's Office -  
- Normal POV -  
"And so, you will be marrying Rukia-chan!"  
"WHAT!? ARE YOU CRAZY!? I-I... I'M ONLY 17! I-I HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN HER FOR 7 YEARS!"  
"Then today will be a good opportunity to repair your bond!"  
"Huh?"  
"Starting today, Rukia-chan will be going to Karakura High with you!"  
"WHAT!?"  
"Now off to school!" Ichigo sighed at the current situation. He was going to get married. MARRIED. To someone he hasn't seen for 7 years. _Just great. How the hell am I supposed to explain this to Orihime?!_

* * *

**A/N: I realize that this chapter is short and pretty brief, but I promise that the next chapters will be longer. . . Well at least I'll TRY to make them longer. Please review and give any advice you think would be ideal. Also, thanks to Kysarin Natsumoto for helping me figure out a name for this fanfic! If you like Hitsukarin then go check out her story, "Just, Caught Sight Of You"!  
Bye for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: Well, I thought I might as well update as soon as I can. Thank you to whoever read this and followed. Sorry for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, sometimes I don't even know how I make those mistakes. Oh and if it's not clear already, Ichigo and Orihime are dating and it's the first day of their second year in senior high. It took me a long time to understand how Japanese schooling works. I'm still pretty confused so I'm sorry if it seems really confusing T.T And like before, sorry for any grammatical and spelling errors.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Tite Kubo is one lucky person.**

Chapter 2- Changes

- Normal POV -  
Ichigo looked at his watch as he ran through the school corridors. _8:29! Just great. First I found out I'm going to get married and now I'm going to be late on the first day of my second year in senior high. Where the hell is the goddamn classroom anyway!? _ As he ran up the stairs to the second floor, he finally found his classroom at the end of the hallway. _2-A Yep, here it is. _He checked his watch again. _8:35... Ah crap. _

Rukia glanced at the piece of paper with her classes and other information on it. _I'm in class 2-B and I have Maths first in room M-D. . . Confusing. If only I could find the damn classroom. Why are there three buildings in the school anyway?!_

After wondering around aimlessly for a few minutes, she concluded that she was absolutely lost. She stood there, staring at her piece of paper. Her silence of solitude was broken by a friendly voice.  
"Hey there, you seem lost?" Rukia looked up and saw a man with black hair and a face unusually like Ichigo's.  
"Uhmm Yes. Kinda." Rukia didn't want to seem like a helpless little girl.  
"May I see your timetable?"  
"Uhh yes. Here." Rukia gave the man her timetable. He looked at it for a few minutes and finally realized.  
"Oh you must be the new transfer student, Kuchiki Rukia?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Well, I'm Shiba Kaien. One of the english teachers."  
"Oh well, hello Shiba-sensei." Kaien wacked her head with a heavy book.  
" It's: 'Hello, Kaien-sensei. Nice to meet you.' Don't forget your manners, kiddo." Rukia rubbed her head and wondered, _Are teachers even allowed to hit their students?!.  
_"Uhh. Hello, Kaien-sensei. Nice to meet you."  
"That's better!" Rukia looked up and saw his smiling face, and found herself smiling as well.  
"Now, The Maths rooms are in the second building, the Senbonzakura building, it's the one with the cherry blossoms painted on the walls."  
"Ah, thank you very much, Kaien-sensei." She bowed and walked towards the building.

Once she finally found her classroom, she found herself incredibly nervous. _What do I do? What happens if the teacher scolds me for being 30 minutes late?! _Finally, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A man with an unusual green striped hat and goofy smile slid open the door.  
"Ah! You must be Kuchiki-san! I'm Urahara Kisuke, your maths teacher! Come in! Come in!" Rukia was a little surprised at this man's 'fun' attitude and walked in, a little too stiffly.  
"My, my no need to be so nervous! We're all friends, right everyone?" He said, glancing at the class.  
"HAI~!" As Rukia walked in, the whole class got up from their seats and surrounded her.  
"What's your name?"  
"Why did you transfer?"  
"What's your favorite food?"  
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Question after question, as the students stared at her petite figure.  
"Err... My name is Kuchiki Rukia. I transferred because. . . I felt like a fresh start. I don't really have a favorite food but if I did, it would be dumplings and I don't have a boyfriend." Rukia felt really awkward at the sudden closeness with other people. She never really had friends, except for Ichigo, Orihime and Renji.  
"Everyone! We shouldn't make Kuchiki-san feel uncomfortable!" Urahara said, fanning himself with his fan.  
"Hai~!" They slowly moved away from Rukia and went back to their seats. Suddenly, the door burst open, followed by a red pineapple head running in, panting.  
"Sorry, I'm late, I- RUKIA?!" Rukia's eyes widened.  
"RENJI!?" Urahara watched as they stared at each other, wide-eyed.  
"Now,now. Abarai-kun go sit down, and since you seem to know each other, you will be in charge of showing her around the school and to her homeroom." Renji nodded and sat down at his seat which was in the last row, two seats to the right of the window.  
"Kuchiki-san, you go seat next to Abarai-kun."  
"Hai."  
"Now class, let's continue on with the lesson!" _I might actually enjoy maths for once, _Rukia wondered as she stared at the blackboard, full of algebraic equations.

* * *

- End of period 1 -  
Rukia gathered her maths books and stationery as the bell went. She noticed Renji staring at her with a confused look.  
"What is it?"  
"You've changed."  
"Huh!?"  
"You used to be this sweet, super girly girl with tiny pigtails." Rukia sighed. She was expecting him to say that.  
"Did you really think that I would be the same old Rukia? A lot can change in 7 years, you know."  
"Yeah. . . well what class do you have next?" Rukia glanced at her timetable.  
"Science, room S-C, errr. . . with Mayuri-sensei?" Renji looked relieved and let out air she wasn't aware he was holding.  
"You're in the same class as me then! Oh and Orihime is there as well! The science rooms are in the Zangetsu (third) building so we would have to hurry if we didn't want to be late..." Rukia's eyes widened.  
"She goes to this school as well!?"  
"Hell yeah! Oh and she finally sucked up the courage and confessed to Ichigo. Now they're going out and shit." Rukia's heart skipped a beat.  
"D-Dating? Inoue likes Ichigo?"  
"Yeah. Not that surprising though. Not after he saved her from that molester on the train." Rukia frowned but quickly regained her composure.  
"I see. Well let's get to the next class."  
"Oh right! I don't want Mayuri-sensei dissecting me because I'm late!" _DISSECTING?! WHAT!? _Rukia just sighed and shrugged it off. _This school is crazy.  
_

* * *

- End of Period 2 -  
Rukia sighed as she trudged along the corridors of the Senbonzakura building with Renji and Orihime. _That was one of the most freakiest lessons ever. Atleast Inoue and Renji were there with me. I'm happy that I can still be with Renji and Orihime as if those 7 years had never went passed and we were still friends. Although, it's kinda wierd how I haven't seen Ichigo yet. . . _She looked around for her classroom. She had English next in room E-A, while Renji had it in E-C and Orihime, E-B.  
"Well here's E-C, see you guys at lunch." Rukia and Orihime waved to Renji who disappeared into the classroom and continued walking down the corridor. _Why are all the rooms so spaced out?! _Rukia was pulled out of her thoughts about the school architecture when Orihime stopped and waved to Rukia.  
"Here's my classroom. Ja ne!" Rukia waved back and continued to walk towards her classroom. As she slowly slid open the door of the classroom she was met with people she had met in period 1, which gave her some relief.  
"Hey, Kuchiki-san! You're in my class as well, huh?" Rukia smiled as she saw her newly made friend, Matsumoto Rangiku , waving for her to sit down next to her. She walked over and sat down in the seat next to hers.  
"It's nice to see you again, Matsumoto-san"  
"Just call me Rangiku! It's nice to see you again too! Here let me introduce you to everyone here!"  
"Uhh well okay." Uncertainty filled her mind as Rangiku introduced her to everyone around the room. She felt as if something she didn't like would happen. Oh how right she was.

Right when Rangiku was introducing her to Arisawa Tatsuki, the door slid open followed by a spiky orange head rushing into the room.  
"I-I'M SORRY I'M LATE, UKITAKE-SENSEI!" The room went quiet and everyone burst into laughter.  
"Oi Ichigo you're not late this time! Ukitake-sensei is late due to a doctor's appointment!" Tatsuki yelled. Ichigo looked perplexed for a moment but his scowl returned as he walked over to Tatsuki, completely not noticing Rukia's prescence.  
"Oi shut up, I'm technically late anyways." Ichigo didn't seem to notice Rukia which she took as a chance to quickly slip away from the group, only to be stopped by Rangiku.  
"Not so fast." She said, gripping on to Rukia's shoulder.  
"Hey Ichigo, this is Kuchiki Rukia. She transferred just today! Rukia, this is Kurosaki Ichigo! He may seem scary but he's actually a nice person!" Rangiku smiled as she pushed Rukia forward towards Ichigo. _Crap, _Rukia thought as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. Ichigo was speechless. He wasn't sure whether to greet her as an old friend or to treat her like a stranger. His scowl slowly disappeared and changed to one of a fake smile, which only Rukia could tell was fake by the way.  
"It's nice to see you again, Rukia" Rukia looked up to see his fake smile and grew uncertain. _He's angry. Oh boy he's angry alright._  
"EHHHHHHHHHH!?" Everyone had heard what Ichigo had said to Rukia. Whispers and looks were exchanged between students. Rangiku decided to say something.  
"Uhhh you know each other, Rukia?" Rukia nodded.  
"Him and I were childhood friends, 7 years ago."  
"EHHHHHHHHH!?" Rukia just ignored the whispers around the room and sat back down in her seat. Ichigo grunted and sat in the seat beside the window, which was next to her seat. Rangiku smiled cheekily and thought, _Oooh. Something seems to be going on here._

Rukia glanced at Ichigo and confirmed her suspicions. _He's changed. _She turned her back towards him and started a conversation with Tatsuki.

Ichigo turned to look at Rukia who was in a deep conversation with Tatsuki about rabbits. He observed her features he hadn't noticed before, like her new hairstyle and petite figure.  
_She's changed._

* * *

**A/N: So how was this chapter? It's definitely longer than the first one, but not as long as I would've wanted it to be. But that's my own opinion. Please leave your thoughts as they are always appreciated! Did I make the characters too OOC? And if you didn't know...  
**_Hai_-Yes or "I understand"  
_Ja ne_- See you later, Bye, E.T.C

**I hope this chapter was up to your expectation! If not well. . . *Loads shotgun*  
Hehe...  
Bye for now~!**


	3. Chapter 3

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story :) This chapter is really short. Sorry about that. Is it because I got caught up in re-watching Avatar: The Last Airbender? Pfffft No... *laughs nervously* Don't kill me. I swear the next chapter will be longer.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. I don't own Bleach. **

Chapter 3- Just When It Couldn't Get Any Worse

As the bell went to signal the end of period 4, Rukia glanced behind at Ichigo, who was sitting 2 rows back. They were in History, which was taught by Unohana-sensei in room H-A. Ichigo was staring out the window, not noticing the hopeful and uncertain glances Rukia was throwing him._This is getting really awkward tiring. Period 3 was the same as well.  
__  
_She sighed, gathered her things, stood up from her chair and went to search for her homeroom. She was currently in the Zangetsu building and had to go to the first, the Shirayuki, building which was on the other side of the school. As she slid open the door, she bumped into Orihime's huge bust, and fell onto the floor.  
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Kuchiki-san!" said Orihime, offering her a hand.  
"No, no. It's alright, Inoue." Rukia rubbed her nose. "So, why are you here?"  
"Oh, I'm here to see Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime was practically radiating with hapiness. Rukia smiled at her bubbly friend. Being with Ichigo was clearly making her happy.  
_They're like the perfect couple. Her happiness should rub off onto him._  
"Where are you going, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.  
"Going to check out my homeroom and eat lunch there."  
"Which homeroom is it?" Orihime's eyes were brimming with hope.  
"Uhhh. . . 2-B" Rukia covered her ears as Orihime squealed loudly in delight.  
"That's the same class as me! I know! You should join Kurosaki-kun and I for lunch!"  
"Uhhh no, it's okay. Plus, I should go meet the homeroom teacher, anyway." _  
Eating with Ichigo?! That would just be too awkward._  
"Then, I'll come with you! I have to drop off some things anyway!" Rukia was feeling a little suspicious and irritated at her bubbly friend's action. Not so much as irritated, but really suspicious. Rukia decided to just shrug it off.  
"Sure if you're that interested, but wouldn't you want to spend time with Ichigo?"  
". . . No, it's fine. Let's go! I have a mayonaise, peanut butter and ham sandwich waiting for me!" Rukia laughed.  
"Your tastes are the same as ever." and with that, they walked together towards the Shirayuki building. Ichigo had been listening to their conversation the whole time and decided to go eat lunch with Renji and Keigo.

* * *

- 15 minutes later -  
"So what do you think of our homeroom teacher?" Orihime watched Rukia eat some tamagoyaki. They were in their homeroom. Rukia saw the greed in her friend's eyes and placed a piece of it into her hands. Orihime mumbled a short thank you before stuffing it into her mouth.  
"I think she's. . . interesting."  
"What do you mean?" Orihime said, after swallowing the sweet egg omelette. Rukia waved her hand at the question.  
"Nothing you need to worry about." Orihime gave her a questioning stare. Rukia noticed this and decided to ask a question of her own.  
"So why did you need to get away from Ichigo really badly?" Orihime fidgeted with her skirt and looked down.  
"I. . . I've been thinking of breaking up with him." Rukia immediately spurted out her juice from her mouth at the statement.  
"Why?"  
"I-I think I'm in love." Rukia just stared at her weirdly.  
"Huh?"  
"I said I think I love someone else."  
"Huh." Orihime sighed. She knew her friend well, even if Rukia did leave for 7 years.  
"I don't love Kurosaki-kun anymore."  
"Ohhhh" Realization washed over Rukia's face. "I see."  
Silence.

* * *

The bell rang for the end of lunch and the start of period 5. Rukia and Orihime didn't talk about that topic afterwards. Instead they talked about how Rukia had been these past 7 years.  
_So many things happened since I left Karakura Town, _Rukia thought as she walked towards A-A for Art. She slid open the door and was surprised to see no one there, apart from 3 figures who were talking. She realized that she knew who they were.  
"N-Nii-sama? Kurosaki-san? Ichigo!? Why?" Byakuya motioned for Rukia to sit down next to Ichigo, who was staring out the window, scowling. Byakuya seemed a little fustrated, which was unusual. Ishiin was. . . well Ishiin.  
"Glad you could join us, Rukia-chan! How have you been?"  
"Uhhh."  
"We asked for the class to move to a different room so we could all talk privately!" Ishiin's eyes were sparkling. Rukia suddenly felt as if her life was about to turn upside down _again._  
"Talk about what?" Rukia tried to sound confident and absolutely not nervous.  
"About you and Ichigo moving in together!" It took a while for reality to sink in. But once it did, it felt horrible.  
"WHAT!?" Rukia started to sputter out nonsense, until Byakuya rested his hand on her shoulder.  
"Remember, a Kuchiki is always graceful and keeps their composure." He then shot a look at Ichigo who was completely emotionless.  
"Do anything to her and I'll make sure you never see sunlight again." He then walked out of the classroom. Rukia was completely dumbfounded. Ishiin decided to speak up.  
"After school, you two will start living together under one roof! Don't worry, all your things have already been sent there. Here's the address." He gave Rukia a small piece of paper and walked towards the door. Suddenly he stopped and turned towards Rukia and Ichigo.  
"Don't worry, I don't expect any grandchildren. _Yet." _He walked out of the room, leaving a blushing Rukia and a still emotionless Ichigo. After a few minutes of silence, Ichigo stood up and looked at Rukia.  
"Don't tell anyone about this." He walked towards the door, then he stopped, confusing Rukia a bit.  
"What?!"  
"I get the bigger bedroom" He then smirked and left the room.

* * *

**A/N: Hohoho. I think I might've made them a little OOC than normal -_- Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Is it progressing a little too fast? I'm not exactly satisfied with the length. Well, leave your thoughts.**

**Bye for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: A flashback chapter this time. This chapter is meant to give you more detail on their pasts and reasons and stuff like that. I had to edit this because I realized that I had made a really stupid mistake... Thank you to AbeYanCe101 for pointing it out :D **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. (Like we didn't know that already)**

Chapter 4- So What Happened 7 Years Ago?

- 7 years ago, January 21st -

"Nii-sama, what's wrong with nee-san" asked a 7-year-old Rukia. Byakuya was taking her to the Kurosaki Hospital to visit Hisana for the first time, since she had been admitted into hospital.  
"Nothing is wrong." They were sitting in a rich-looking car driven by Byakuya himself.  
"Why are you driving, when you can ask your butler to drive us?" Rukia was sitting in the back seat, playing with her Chappy soft toy that Hisana had bought her a week ago for her birthday. Byakuya usually asked his personal butler to drive him everywhere, but when it came to visiting Hisana in hospital, he would drive himself out of pride. Rukia, of course was innocent and dense as ever when she was 7. She wasn't aware that her own sister would be dying in a couple of months. Byakuya continued to ignore the child's questions and drove to the hospital.

When entering the hospital, they were greeted by a man with spiky black hair and a serious looking face. he was wearing a white lab coat with a name tage that read:  
**Head Doctor  
Kurosaki Ishiin**  
Little Rukia glanced up at the man. At first, she thought he was scary since he was towering over her, and hid behind Byakuya.  
"Hello, Byakuya. Did you come to see Hisana-san?"  
"Of course. Why else would I visit a hospital?" Ishiin suddenly noticed the little Rukia hiding behind Byakuya and smiled. He crouched down until he was on the same eye level as hers. His face broke into a goofy smile.  
"Why hello there. Who's this cute little girl?"  
"She's Hisana's sister." Ishiin stood back to his normal height and looked at Byakuya.  
"She doesn't know does she?"  
"No, but Hisana wanted me to bring her here so she could tell her herself."  
"I see, well right this way." Ishiin lead Byakuya and Rukia to a room with a sign that read:  
**Kuchiki Hisana  
**Byakuya slid the door and was welcomed by a warm and gentle voice.  
"Byakuya." A smile appeared on Byakuya's face as he rushed towards her bedside, holding Rukia's hand along with him.  
"I've brought Rukia." Hisana laughed, it was music to Byakuya's ears.  
"You act like as if she is an object." Rukia had ignored their little exchange and was looking around the room. Cherry blossoms were placed in a vase at the bedside table, along with a photo of Hisana, Rukia and Byakuya. Everything else seemed plain and boring to the child.  
"Rukia." Rukia turned to Hisana. Even though she was only 7, she could tell by the tone of her voice that she had something important to tell her.  
"What is it, nee-san?" Hisana reached over and gently grabbed Rukia's hand.  
"I'm sure that you can tell already that I'm sick." Rukia just nodded at her statement.  
"Well. . . I-. . ." Hisana felt like her heart was breaking as she tried to say what was on her mind.  
"Nee-san?" She broke down. Tears were falling down Hisana's face like cascading waterfalls. Byakuya held her in his arms as she cried. Rukia looked uncertain and shocked at her sister's sudden outburst.  
"I-... I don't know how to say this as gently as I can but... Well... Thay say I might die in a few months." Hisana was sobbing. Rukia's little violet eyes widened.  
"D-Die? Y-You might die?" Rukia looked like she was about to break down as well. She loved her sister even more than she loved Chappy, and to a 7 year old, that's a lot of love. Rukia didn't feel like doing anything, she just ran. She didn't know where she was going, but she just wanted to get away from there. She had always hated hospitals anyway.

After a while, she stopped running and looked around. She seemed to be on top of a hill with a tree and a log. She sat down on the log and felt the breeze take away all her worries and troubles. She felt oddly peaceful and calm. Behind her, was the hospital, but in front of her, was the rest of Karakura Town in all its glory. Her peace was short-lived as a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.  
"Ummm. . . hello?" She jumped at the voice and turned. Standing in front of her, was a boy. He was around the same age as her, yet slightly taller. He had beautiful amber eyes and the thing that interested he the most, was his hair. It wasn't any normal colour. It was orange, bright orange.

They stared at each other for countless minutes. When Rukia finally realised that it was rude to stare, she decided to break the silence.  
"Hello. Uhhh. . . I'm Kuchiki Rukia..." It was all she could come up with. Luckily for her, he responded positively.  
"Well, I am Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo. It's nice to meet you, Rukia. What are you doing up here?" _Kurosaki? Sounds familiar..._ Rukia turned back to the horizon.  
"I... I found out my sister is going to die, so I ran away."  
". . . I understand." She turned her head towards him again.  
"You do?" Ichigo sat down on the log next to her and gazed at the scenery. He had a faraway look in his eyes.  
"My mother died 3 years ago." Her eyes widened.  
"Oh." _There's no point in saying sorry isn't there? Even if I said sorry, there's no way his mother would come back. I would just be making it worse.  
_"What was your mother like?" Ichigo looked up at the sky.  
"She was... kind and caring. Isn't that what all mothers are like?"  
"I wouldn't know. My parents died after I was born, so I never really knew them. My sister is the only family I have left. . . " _Well except for nii-sama of course. _Silence ensued. It wasn't an uncomfortable one either. It was a nice, peaceful silence.  
"I should probably go." She finally said. She felt much better now. Ichigo nodded and watched her walk off. Suddenly, Ichigo shouted after her.  
"HEY! WILL YOU BE BACK!?" Rukia turned and smiled.  
"YOU BET I WILL!" She turned back and walked towards the hospital. _What am I going to say to nii-sama? Oh well. Atleast I made a new friend._

* * *

- 7 years ago, June 30th, 6:30 am -

"Kuchiki-san! Kuchiki-san! Wake up!" Quick steps, thundering down onto the hard wood floor could be heard throughout the whole Kuchiki mansion. Rukia sat up from her bed, rubbing her eyes as a young aurburn-haired girl came running into her bedroom.  
"...Inoue? How did you get here without me knowing?" Orihime smiled.  
"I climbed over the walls of course!" Rukia looked at her friend. _What?  
_"W-Wha-... You didn't fall?"  
"Nup! Not even a scratch! Abarai-kun said he would just come through normally so he should be here in a few minutes! Oh! And Kurosaki-kun said he will be here in an hour!" _Ichigo_. Rukia had gotten really close to the carrot top over the past few months. They seemed inseperable.  
"Wait... why is everyone coming over here again?"  
"To play of course!" Orihime was grinning. "It's been a while since we all got together!" Rukia sighed at her bubbly friend's crazy antics and smiled.  
"I. AM. HERE!" Orihime and Rukia glanced at the direction of the voice. It belonged to a red pineapple head.  
"Nice entrance." Rukia laughed as Renji tripped and fell flat onto the hard floor. Orihime rushed over to help him up.  
"Are you okay, Abarai-kun?" Renji stood up and gave her a thumbs up.  
"Never better!" Rukia smiled. She loved her friends and to her, they were just like family.  
_I wish this happiness will never end..._

* * *

- 7 years ago, December 27th -  
The grey sky fit perfectly with the aura surrounding everyone. Tears were rushing down Rukia's pale face. Everyone was either crying or stood emotionless as the coffin containing the beautiful Kuchiki Hisana, was lowered down into the earth. As the ceremony finished, people began to leave and sent their condolences to Byakuya, who stood in front of the grave.

Nobody was left at this point in time, giving Rukia a good chance to sit in front of the grave and do whatever she wished. She layed flowers down in front of the grave as the rain poured down, splashing onto the soft earth.  
"Rukia. Come, we must leave before you get sick." Byakuya (holding an umbrella of course) placed his hand on her trembling shoulder. Rukia brushed his hand off gently.  
"Please. Please let me stay for a bit." Byakuya closed his eyes and nodded. He knew that she needed time alone.  
"As you wish." He walked off, umbrella in his hand.

_How long have I been sitting here? An hour? 2? _Rukia shook her head, time didn't matter to her anymore. Time was..._Pointless. Time is pointless. All it does is take the people you love away. _  
"That's not necessarily true, you know." Rukia's eyes widened at the familiar voice and warmth. Ichigo had pulled her into an embrace without her knowing it. Although, she was more shocked that he knew what she was thinking about.  
"How did y-"  
"I thought the same things when Mother died. I felt as if time had taken her away from me and my family. I felt like... it was my fault she died." Even though it had hardly been a year since they met, they knew each other more than they thought. Rukia had learned of Ichigo's mother's death when she heard his dad talking about it one time. When she asked Ichigo about it, he told her the whole story since he trusted her.  
". . . hey Ichigo?"  
"What..."  
"We'll always be friends right?"  
"Yeah, of course we will." For some reason, Rukia felt uncertain and nervous.

* * *

- 7 years ago, December 30th -

Rukia was on top of a hill. The hill where she met Ichigo to be exact. She was sitting on the log and breathing in the fresh air as she gazed at the horizon.  
"Rukia." She turned and saw Byakuya, in his usual formal attire. He had a little tinge of worry on his face.  
"Have you made your decision?" Rukia looked down on the ground.  
"Yes. I will accept the offer and Tokyo and accept the offer." You see, Rukia was talented in Art and in playing the violin. Well, except for the fact she can't draw Chappy. She had been offered a place at Tokyo Performing Art School for her talents. Byakuya seemed a little relieved at her decision.  
"Are you sure?" Rukia stood up and looked at Byakuya straight in the eye.  
"I have no regrets." She didn't.  
"As you wish. Your flight will arrive tomorrow morning then. If you need to say goodbye to those friends of yours then I suggest you do it now." Rukia nodded and watched as he walked down the hill towards the car parked at the bottom. She looked at the horizon. The sun was setting, giving the sky a beautiful orange colour with a tinge of pink and red. _Going to Tokyo and attending the school would be the best option for me right now... I want to make sure that nee-san's wishes will come true. I also want to move forward with life. I will try my best to cut ties with Ichigo and the rest. After all, I can't have anymore attachments if I want to move on. I have to move on. I can't let anyone hold me back from making nee-san's dream come true._ Rukia facepalmed herself. She was acting like a mature adult when she was hardly anywhere near one. She was 10 for god's sake.

* * *

- Next Morning -

"Do you have everything?"  
"Yes."  
"Passport? Boarding pass?"  
"Yes. Yes." Rukia was running towards the entrance with her luggage, with Byakuya walking alongside her. They stopped at the entrance. Rukia turned towards Byakuya.  
"Okay. Now, Ise Nanao is a very good friend of Hisana's and she will take care of you when you arrive in Tokyo. Do not worry, she will recognize you on sight. Now, go. You don't want to be late." Rukia nodded and walked towards the entrance. Suddenly, she turned, ran towards Byakuya and pulled him in an embrace.  
"Goodbye nii-sama" Byakuya was surprised at her sudden action but returned the hug. She let go and ran towards the entrance.

As she sat down in the plane, she pulled out an Ipod and earphones, and listened to **Ranbu no Melody** by** SID. **She glanced out the window as the plane took off.  
"Sayonara, Karakura Town." _I'll probably never come back, but I hope everyone stays healthy and happy. _A soft tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled softly.

* * *

**A/N: Longer chapter this time! WOO! VICTORY DANCE! I realize I did kind of rush that last little bit, but I really wanted to start writing the next chapter!(I have many, many things planned *sits back in chair and smiles evilly*) Well anyway this doesn't exactly explain why Ichigo hates Rukia but it does imply that she cuts ties with him, which would make anyone mad I guess. I'll explain with more detail in the next few chapters. Also, Ranbu no Melody by SID was the 13th opening if you remember, and it's one of my favorite openings :). Anyway, leave your thoughts and tell me if you feel confused or if you don't exactly like anything (and ways to improve if you don't like anything).**

**Bye for now~!**


	5. Chapter 5

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: A bit of a late update. Late for me anyway. So I know that it's kind of wierd that a 10 year old Rukia would act so maturely and negatively, but in my defense, 10 year olds these days are actually pretty smart for their age and I reckon that Byakuya would probably have taught her many things about... being a Kuchiki I guess 0_0 Yeah well I'll probably be updating weekly from now on.. Thanks for the reviews and follows! :D  
I hope you don't mind but I made Rukia a bit of an otaku :P**

**Warning: Unfortunately contains OOC-ness and a few misspellings and grammatical errors **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Chapter 5- Moving In

As the bell rang for the end of school, Rukia gathered up her things and slowly walked out of the school gates. She had been in a daze ever since she had found out that she was going to be living with the person she wanted to avoid the most.

She was sent back to reality when her bubbly friend came running up to her.  
"Kuchiki-san! Kuchiki-san! What did you think of you first day?" Orihime was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Rukia glanced at her friend's smiling face. _Should I tell her I'm going to be living with Ichigo? No. That would make things worse than it is, but I don't want to lie to her...  
_"It was. . . interesting." Orihime smiled.  
"I'm so glad you came back to us, Kuchiki-san." Rukia stared at her friend, wondering why she wasn't angry at her attempt to cut ties between them. She smiled, genuinely.  
"I'm also glad." Tears were forming in Orhime's eyes. She hugged Rukia and started bawling.  
"Inoue?... I. Can't. Breathe. Inoue!" Rukia's muffled voice was no match for Orihime's noisy cries. Orhime finally realised that she was smashing her petite friend with her gigantic breasts and immediately let go.  
"I'm so sorry, Kuchiki-san! It's just I'm so happy you came back!" Orhime sniffed. Every student around them had stopped and stared questioningly at the pair. Rukia noticed this and suddenly became self-conscious, but when she saw her teary friend, she ignored every onlooker and smiled.  
"I missed you a lot, Orihime." Orihime looked down at Rukia, shocked but happy.  
"That's the first time you said my first name in a long time..." Rukia noticed that her friend could start to cry again and decided to avoid this by changing the subject.  
"Uhh. So Renji told me that you're working at a nearby family restaurant?" Orihime sucked in her tears and smiled exitedly, bouncing up and down like she did before.  
"Yeah! Actually, I'm going there now! You wanna come and see?" Rukia had no time to even think about the question, when a black Mercedes-Benz parked right in front of them. The window scrolled down, to reveal Ichigo, who was obviously in a bad mood, and a goofy smiling Ishiin in the driver's seat.  
"Kurosaki-kun! What are you doing here? I thought you went home!" Ichigo smiled, which seemed a little forced, at Orihime and then shot a look at Rukia as if to say: _Get in here before I get out and shove you in myself. _Rukia sighed and turned to Orihime. She slapped her forehead in fake realisation.  
"I'm so sorry, Orihime! I almost forgot that Ichigo's dad had promised to drive me home! Sorry but I can't visit your workplace!" Her voice was thick with sugariness. Orihime didn't notice the sudden immense amount of sweat on Rukia.  
"Oh that's alright! There's always tomorrow!" With that, Orihime turned and skipped off happily. Rukia let out a sigh of relief and turned towards the car. She opened the door and slid in.  
"What is the meaning of this, Kurosaki-san?"  
"I just thought that maybe I could drive you guys to your new home! Oh and feel free to call me your dad, my third daughter!" Ichigo punched Ishiin's face and scowled.  
"Just keep your eyes on the road, old goat face." Ishiin rubbed his bruised jaw in pain and kept his eyes on the road as told. It was clear that Ichigo was pissed and wasn't in a good mood.

* * *

The car drove into a driveway of a simple two-storey house with a small garden in the front. A marble pathway from the front gate lead to the front door. Ishiin got out of the car and opened the door for Rukia. Rukia jumped out and thanked the man, while Ichigo got out and stared at the house.  
"So this is where we're living?" Ichigo pointed at the sort-of-quaint-looking house. Ishiin placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder and pulled Rukia to his other side. He pushed them towards the front gate and Ichigo pushed it oen, revealing a beautiful garden. Rukia gasped in wonder and smiled happily.  
"You like it? Byakuya and I picked it with the both of you in mind!"  
"Nii-sama picked it?" The front garden definitely suited Rukia's taste. It was full of white carnations and snowdrops. It also had a blossoming sakura tree in the corner. _Nii-sama knows me more than I thought he did. I have to thank him later... _  
"So here's the key." Ishiin placed the key into Ichigo's hands and ran towards the car.  
"Oi! Goat face! What the hell?" Ishiin got into the car and started the engine.  
"I think you guys can settle in yourselves! You probably want some personal space! Bye bye!" Ishiin waved out the window and drove off into the horizon. Silence overcame them and things became real awkward. Ichigo walked towards the front door and unlocked the door. The door slowly creeked open and he turned to Rukia.  
"You coming, or what?" Rukia nodded, watched Ichigo disappear into the house and walked inside, closing the door behind her. Inside, was a hallway leading to a staircase and multiple rooms.  
"I'm going to go check out the second floor and take a shower while you check out this floor. Sound good?" She nodded and he walked up the staircase. She stood there in the front of the hallway, and let the current situation sink in. _So I'm actually going to be living with Ichigo. . . Oh sound like SO much fun. _She heard running water and realised that she should actually do as he told. She walked into the first room. It seemed to be a living room with a simple leather couch and two armchairs at the side with a coffee table in the middle. It was basic yet stylish. She walked out and into the next one. This one was the dining room which was connected to the kitchen. The dinner table stood in the middle of the room and was graced with two chairs and a vase full of lavender in the middle of the table. She walked towards the kitchen. _It's just like a normal kitchen but with a polished look to it. _She ran her hand along the countertop and stared at her surroundings, when a sudden bolt of realisation shot through her.  
_I can't cook. Can Ichigo cook? I hope he can 'cuz there's no way am I going to cook. I'll probably just burn the whole kitchen down. _She walked back towards the living room and sat down on the couch. She looked at the ceiling, deep in thought. _I wonder if they brought my Chappy pillow and my anime dvds... and my manga. _She shuddered at thought of not being able to continue watching, ' Chappy the Shinigami: Season 2 '.

* * *

As Ichigo walked into the living room, in fresh new clothes and a towel around his neck, and saw Rukia staring at the ceiling in a daze. A hint of worry filled his mind as he walked over to her. He stood in front of her and poked her forehead, which brought her back to reality. Rukia rubbed her forehead and glared at Ichigo.  
"And what was THAT for?"  
"Hey, you looked like you were on drugs so I poked you to make sure you weren't." Rukia became a little irritated but decided to shrug it off instead.  
"So what's the second floor like?" He shrugged.  
"Your typical floor I guess. Everything seemed to be already in place."  
"I see... Hey, can I talk to you?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.  
"We are talking." Rukia started to become irritated again.  
"Just shut up and sit down." He sat down next to her. She became extremely nervous. _What should I say? I'm sorry for leaving you? I'm sorry for flying of to Tokyo without tell you? _  
"Oi Rukia" Rukia blinked and started to speak, only to be stopped by Ichigo. "You don't have to tell me why you left." Her eyes widened and she turned to him.  
"What!? What do you mean?!" He closed his eyes.  
"It's obvious you feel uncomfortable about it. So, if you ever feel ready to talk about it, then I'll be there to listen. I'm still a little pissed that you left without saying anything though." Rukia sat there, dumbfounded, until she finally remembered something else she had to say.  
"Uhh. Okay if you say so. But, there's something I want to ask you."  
"Shoot." Ichigo noticed Rukia become a fidgety and raised an eyebrow.  
"C-Can you cook?" He blinked.  
"No."  
"You. . . You can't cook, can you?" Rukia rubbed the back of her raven head nervously.  
"Hehe... Yeah..." Ichigo scowled.  
"Let's just get some pizza then." He took out his phone and dialed the pizza place. Rukia let out a small sigh of relief. She felt really guilty about not being able to cook. _We both can't cook. We can't just get pizza for the rest of our lives though. . . What to do... what to do... I should head to the library tomorrow and borrow some cookbooks. Cooking can't be that hard, right?  
_"Hey, Rukia. What type of pizza?" She looked at the ceiling in thought.  
"Pepperoni. Chappy-shaped pepperoni." Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask about her preference and ordered the pizza.

* * *

**A/N: So this is kind of a short chapter. . . I don't know what's with me and writing short chapters 0_0  
Well, review what you think and also if you want your own input or have any ideas just message me.  
Bye for now!**


	6. Chapter 6

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: So I felt like speeding things up, not too much though. Just enough so that I can go along with my plans *evil laugh*. I guess this is kind of a filler chapter. I have many, many things I want to say, but I won't because I don't want to waste your time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Otherwise, Ichiruki, Hitsukarin and Ulquihime would be canon.**

**Warning: Contains slight OOC-ness. Hey, I don't really like reading stories containing OOC-ness either but I can't really help it sometimes.  
**

Chapter 6- The Arising of the 'Unknown' Feelings

The sun was shining brightly, radiating on a certain carrot-top's back. Ichigo walked, alone, to school. Both him and Rukia had agreed to keep their distance when walking to and from school, just to lower any suspicions. Their time together, after their conversation, had been an awkward one. Only talking to each other about how they were going to live their new days together. He glanced at his surroundings, he had never been in this part of town before. The birds were tweeting in harmony and there was a slight breeze, just to balance out the temperature. Certain shops were still setting up, getting ready for the day ahead. It was a perfect spring day.  
"ICHIGOOOO!" Almost perfect. Ichigo turned towards the owner of the voice. It was Keigo, in all his. . . err 'glory'. He ran towards Ichigo, preparing to jump onto him, only to be stopped by Ichigo's schoolbag.  
"Yo Keigo." He tumbled onto the floor, and started to tear up. Fake tears, of course.  
"You're so mean, Ichigo!" He quickly stood up and began rambling on about how he had started playing a new dating sim*, as they walked on towards Karakura High.  
"And then, she went all tsundere* on me! Oh by the way, Ichigo. Since when did you walk to school this way?" Ichigo facepalmed himself. _So it took him this long to realize? _He immediately began trying to conjure up an excuse.  
"Uh, I felt like a change of scenery!" _What a bad excuse. . .  
_"Oh is that all? That's so strange coming from you!" He continued to ramble on about his 'tsundere cutie'. Ichigo stopped walking for a moment, which confused Keigo.  
"Ichigo?"  
"Hey, I've been wondering. What is a 'tsundere' anyway?"

* * *

Rukia banged her head on the pages of the recipe book, startling a few other students. She had been sitting in one of the comfy, sofa chairs in the school library, reading about cooking. She dropped the book on the floor, amongst the other scattered cook books across the carpet.  
"Maybe I'm not cut out for cooking?"  
"Good morning! Kuchiki-san!" Rukia jumped up, startled. She then relaxed upon seeing Orihime coming out from behind a bookcase.  
"Inoue! What are you doing here?"  
"SHHHHHHH!" The other students, who were studying, glared at them. Rukia ignored them and motioned for Orhime to sit on the chair across from her.  
"So what are you doing here?" Her voice now, only a whisper.  
"I was getting worried because I couldn't find you. So what are you doing with all these books?"  
"I'm trying to learn how to cook." Orihime looked at her questioningly.  
"But, you have a personal chef, don't you? Why do you need to cook?" Rukia realised, she had forgotten that Orihime didn't know about her situation.  
"Uhhh. . . I've always wanted to try it out?" _Yeah, right. Like she would believe that.  
_"Oh! I can teach you!" She said a little too loudly, earning glares from annoyed students. She, however, ignored this and smiled at Rukia.  
"I can teach you."  
"You can?" _Getting Inoue to teach me to cook. I don't know, her food is always. . . strange. Should I accept her offer? She should atleast know the basics right? I don't want to hurt her feelings.  
_"Okay. Can you teach me the basics, then?" She said, smiling.  
"Of course. Leave it to me. I can teach you how to make your own chilli, mayo and mango dipping!" Rukia felt her stomach disagree to the idea and waved her hand.  
"No, no that's okay. Just teach me about simple things."  
"Ehh? You sure?"  
"Definite."

* * *

School seemed to drag on for Rukia, as she was actually looking forward to spending some quality time with Orihime. Even if it was about cooking. She stared out the window, spinning her pen in between her fingers in deep thought. She was in the final period for the day and it was Maths, with Urahara-sensei. _  
Should I tell Inoue about my situation with Ichigo? They're dating so shouldn't she know firsthand?_  
"Kuchiki-san."  
_But then again, I don't want to cause any problems within their relationship.  
_"Kuchiki-san."  
_Ah but, what would she do if she found out in the end? I'd hate to see her cry about it. What if she broke up with Ichigo? Wait. . . why did I just suddenly feel sorta happy at that possibility?! Why would I even consider being happy at that!? Now that I think about it, why do I always feel oddly angry when I see them together!? Is it because I...? No. Not possible... there's no way. . .  
_"KU-CH-I-KI-SAN!" Urahara-sensei stood next to her, waving his hand in front of her eyes. She immediately snapped out of her daydream, stood up abruptly and shouted:  
"THERE'S NO WAY I LIKE THAT IDIOT!" The whole class burst out laughing, as Rukia turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment.  
"Okay. That's very nice, Kuchiki-san, but could you please pay attention for the last couple of minutes of the class?"  
"H-Hai." She sat down, without another word. Renji, who sat next to her, was laughing like a madman, but stopped as soon as he caught her glaring at him. And as cliche as it is, if looks could kill, he would be on the floor, dead, in seconds.  
"Now, everyone, we have a surprise maths test tomorrow!" Groans and sighs filled up the room. A girl with her hair in a bun, which Rukia recognised as Hinamori Momo, put up her hand.  
"Uhh. Sensei? It's not really a surprise if you tell us beforehand."  
"Ah, but Hinamori-san, it is a surprise if you don't know what it will be tested on." With a flick of his wrist, Urahara-sensei opened his fan and laughed behind it, as the bell rang, signifying the end of school.  
"Now leave! I must go feed my cat!" And with that, he rushed out, his black haori flowing behind. Students immediately stood up, gathered up their things and headed to their homerooms to get their bags.  
"Kuchiki-san!" Rukia looked up from gathering her things and saw Orihime, standing at the door, waving. She smiled softly and walked to Orihime.  
"What are you doing here, Inoue? I thought we were going to meet up in our homeroom?"  
"Well, I also had maths so I decided to wait for you!"  
"I see."  
"Well let's go!" Orihime grabbed her hand and pulled her away, just as Renji entered the classroom.  
"Hey Rukia, I'm back from the toilet!" His eyes laid upon her empty seat and scratched his head. "Huh?"

* * *

As Orihime and Rukia walked into their homeroom, their homeroom teacher, Shihouin Yoruichi, greeted them and gestured them to sit down, along with the rest of the class who were in their seats. Rukia took her seat by the window, with Orihime behind her.  
"Now, since everybody's here, I'm going to tell you about our trip to Okinawa!" Yoruichi-sensei's golden eyes sparkled with excitement. Excitement began to fill the room. Yoruichi gave a bunch of notes to the people in the front row, telling them to pass them to the people behind. "Now, for your room arrangements, I need you to get into groups of 4 and hand me a piece of paper with your names on it. Girls and boys must be in separate rooms of course." She grinned, showing her pearly whites. "Oh and you may mix with the other classes if you wish. You may now leave." Students picked up their bags and hurried out of the room, worried if they had missed the bus. Orihime jumped up and pulled Rukia out of her seat.  
"Kuchiki-san! Would you like to share a room with me?" Rukia tried to regain her balance from being pulled up so abruptly and smiled at Orihime.  
"Sure, why not?" _It's not like I know anyone else well enough to share a room with. _Suddenly, Matsumoto Rangiku came running up to them.  
"Hey guys! Why don't we all share a room?" Orihime looked at Rukia as if asking if it was okay. Rukia just nodded and picked up her school bag.  
"Sure!" Rangiku hugged the both of them and ran out fo the room. _Okay, that was kinda wierd._ Rukia thought as she walked towards the door. She glanced back to see Orihime, looking at her phone.  
"You coming, Inoue?" Orihime looked up from her phone. She walked towards Rukia and laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.  
"Inoue. . .?" Orihime bowed, confusing Rukia greatly.  
"Gomen! I forgot that I promised Kurosaki-kun, that I would go out with him today!" Rukia's eye twitched a little. She felt unusually angry.  
"Uh. Oh I see. No, that's okay. You can always help me another day." Orihime straightened up and rushed out, waving at Rukia.  
"I'm sorry but I really have to go now!" Rukia waved at her bubbly friend, a little disappointed but also oddly angry. _Why am I so angry? It must be because Ichigo is taking away Orihime from me. Yes that's it! _Rukia nodded at herself and then her head drooped. _That's such a lame reason. But then why? _She walked down the stairs, out of the Shirayuki building and then out of the school.

* * *

"SORRY I'M LATE!" Ichigo turned around to see Orihime, rushing towards him. He was standing outside of a bustling Okonomiyaki store (Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake).  
"That's alright, Inoue. But, what kept you?" Orihime was standing in front of him, out of breath.  
"I had to cancel plans with Rukia. . ." Her face was full of sadness and regret. Ichigo nearly flinched upon hearing Rukia's name. He saw the look on Orihime's face and sighed.  
"You know, you didn't have to come eat with me if you had made other plans." Orihime immediately shook her head.  
"No, it's okay. We haven't gone out in a while! And I made plans with Rukia after I had agreed to come with you! I had forgotten about our d-date. . ." Orihime's face blushed as she uttered the word 'date'. Ichigo, hadn't noticed the redness in her face as he was extremely hungry.  
"Alright, well let's go in then." Orihime took his hand and smiled, her cheecks still pink.  
"Hai."

* * *

**A/N: I honestly have no idea what's with me and writing short chapters. I've been wanting to start a new story because I have an idea and everything, BUT since I am a _logical_ person, I'll finish this one first.**

***Dating sim: **Pretty much a game where you date other boys/girls. Kind of like visual novels as you can choose what to say, which would affect the ending. I think playing dating sims suit Keigo's character, hence the mention of it.

***Tsundere: **If you're NOT an otaku and you just like Bleach, then I'll explain as much as I can *sigh*. Tsundere is a personality type for a girl in love. They're all cold and sharp-tongued on the outside, but on the inside, they're really kind, warm and caring. That's pretty much the basic concept. . . I think.

**I keep forgetting to do this but...  
Thank you to:  
EmpressMinea  
Hippieninja  
Kysarin Natsumoto  
sha5aditto  
ceiyn  
AbeYanCe101 and those Guests for reviewing!  
Especially to...  
xxrxuxsxtxyx  
ilovebks! You guys have reviewed like 3 times! :D  
All of your reviews support me a lot! Thanks again!  
****  
Until next time. . . **


	7. Chapter 7

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: I haven't update for a while. . . . hehe. Sorry, my life got in the way. Don't you just hate when that happens? *sigh* Get ready for yet another short chapter. Well, it's not like you were expecting any different. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows!**

"YUKI DA!"- pretty much meaning "IT'S SNOW!"

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

**Warning: Slight OOCness, grammatical errors and misspellings. Also, the pace of the story is speeding up.**

Chapter 7- Realization in the Snow (Part 1)

- What Had Happened Two Weeks After The Move In -  
When you are forced to marry someone you have avoided the past 7 years, you would think troubles and arguements would arise. But for Ichigo and Rukia, things were different. Okay, except for the arguing. Well, the past two weeks in their new living situation was _fine_, to say the least.

The both of them had started out a little roughly when it came to organizing chores and other things. But, after a few days, the both of them had gotten used to the strangely comfortable routine. They had argued on a daily basis about the simplest things, from Rukia's strange rabbit drawings to Ichigo's liking for Shakespeare. Occasionally, they would talk to each other about how their day went over dinner. Speaking of dinner, Rukia had gotten remarkably good at cooking after a few days, so that was fine. They were friends, just like it was 7 years ago, but Rukia couldn't help but feel as if things weren't the same.

* * *

- Wednesday, 8:45, Classroom: 2-B Homeroom -

"Everyone! Take a seat!" Yoruichi-sensei waved everyone to sit down. The conversations around the room stopped and were replaced by the sound of shuffling chairs. Yoruichi-sensei leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. The room was silent, every pair of questioning eyes were on her. She sighed deeply and opened her eyes.  
"Due to certain conditions, we're not going to Okinawa." The whole class groaned and questioning glances was shot at each other. "But, don't worry. Instead we will be going on a ski trip!" her voice was full of optimism and hope. More groans were heard throughout the classroom. "The room arrangements will stay the same. Our trip will be next Monday! That is all!" The bell rang for the next period and students began to stand up and walk towards their next classroom.

Orihime walked towards Rukia, who was still getting her things together, and smiled which, seemed a little forced.  
"Kuchiki-san! Are you excited for the ski trip?" Rukia nodded. She had always loved snow as a little girl.  
"Yes. I am excited, Inoue." Orihime continued to force a smile at Rukia, which concerned her a little. _Orihime doesn't usually smile this much. Something's up. _"Uh. Inoue? Are you okay?" Orihime's smile disappeared and was replaced with a sad one.  
"I broke up with Kurosaki-kun."

* * *

- 1 week later, Monday, School Gate. 7:45 am -

The second year homeroom teachers were standing, along with their classes at the school gate, waiting for the bus.

Rukia stood, next to a bouncing Orihime, thinking about what she had been told the week before. _They broke up. So, why do I feel so happy about it? I should feel bad for them. I shouldn't. . . . I shouldn't feel this way. _

4 buses came into sight and drove towards the cluster of students and teachers. The buses parked in front of the gate, and the doors opened. Orders to get onto the bus in an orderly fashion were heard, as every student filed onto the buses. Rukia and Orihime were somehow seperated during the rush of excited students, making Rukia one of the last to get on.

As she stepped into the bus, she looked around for Orihime. _She's not here? Is she on another bus? There's only one seat left which is next to. . . . Ichigo. Should I go sit next to him? Or...  
_"Kuchiki-san. Please go take a seat." She turned around to see Urahara-sensei, standing in the entrance with a michevious smile. "You can't make the driver wait all day, now go sit next to Kurosaki-san."  
"H-Hai." She walked towards the seat, oddly nervous. He was gazing out the window with a strange faraway look in his eyes. _Strange. He's been having that look for a while. Just what is that idiot thinking about? _She plonked down next to him and waved her hands in front of his face.  
"Oi. Strawberry, stop looking like a girl in deep thought in those shojo mangas." He snapped out of his trance and scowled at Rukia.  
"Shut up, midget." She glared at him for the usual comment on her height, but decided to let him go.  
"Hey, you okay there?" He turned away and continued to stare out of the window as the bus began to move.  
"Yeah. I'm fine." She raised an eyebrow at his obvious lie.  
"Is this about you and Inoue?" He flinched at the name, but continued to stare out into the distance. "Oi. I said to stop doing that. Staring out into the distance like in those soap operas, isn't going to help you." He ignored the comment and continued to stare, as Rukia continued to get pissed. She took out her phone and pressed a few buttons.  
"Hello, Inoue?" This grabbed Ichigo's attention. He scowled at Rukia.  
"Oi, midget. What the hell are you doing?" She ignored him. Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. ". . . . Say, Inoue. I didn't get to ask you this before, but why did you break up with Ichigo?" Ichigo's eyes widened a tiny bit at the sudden question and turned to Rukia. "Mhm. Yes, he is a stupid ass. Abusing you!?"  
"What?! I did NOT abuse her!" The whole bus grew slient and turned to stare at Ichigo.  
"Nothing to see here!" Rukia waved them off and then turned to Ichigo with a smirk on her face. He looked at her questioningly. She pulled her phone away from her ear and showed him. He realized what she had done as he stared at the 'menu' screen. She had never called Orihime in the first place. He leaned back in his seat and continued to scowl at Rukia.  
"So you gonna tell me what happened now?" He avoided eye contact with her and after a few minutes of silence, he gave in.  
"Didn't she tell you what happened?" She smiled at him.  
"Yeah, but sometimes it's better to let it all out. So tell me." He stared at her for a few moments.  
"There's nothing to tell. She fell in love with this Ulquiorra guy she met the other day, and that's all." She raised an eyebrow.  
"That's all?" A questioning look graced his features.  
"What do you mean, that's all?" Realization sunk in, and she shook her head.  
"Nothing." He returned to staring out the window and Rukia started to text a certain bubbly girl.

**Inoue, would you like to tell me what happened? **Her phone vibrated a few seconds later.  
_**What do you mean, Kuchiki-san? **__**  
**_**I mean, why didn't you tell Ichigo everything? **There was no reply after a few minutes and Rukia had begun to think her friend was avoiding the subject. Until, she was about to fall asleep when her phone came to life.  
_**Do you mean how I was going out with Ulquiorra-kun before I broke up with him?  
**_**Yes, that's what I mean.  
**_**I didn't want to hurt Kurosaki-kun's feelings. . . . :(  
**_**But wouldn't it be better if you tell him?  
**_**Still. . .  
**_**INOUE!  
**_**HAI! I'll tell him. . . but, will you be with me?  
**_**No. It's better if you did it by yourself.  
**_**Okay. . . Oh and Kuchiki-san?  
**_**What is it?  
**_**I know I keep saying this, but I'm glad you came back :) **_Rukia wasn't exactly sure on how to reply to Orihime's text, until she recieved another one from her bubbly friend.  
_**By the way, Tatsuki-chan wants to have the bed closest to the door! I can't wait! Oh and I brought my home made chocolate and mayo layered cake! **_Rukia felt her stomach disagreeing to the idea, but she smiled at her friend's usual antics.  
**Inoue, I don't think I should eat it. . .  
**_**Why? **_She had a hard time figuring out how to respond to the question.  
**Uhh. . . because I don't like the taste of mayonnaise. . .  
**_**Oh! I see! Well, more for me then!  
**_**I should go, I'm starting to feel sleepy. Not because of you of course.  
**_**Okay! I'll see you at the ski lodge! **_She smiled at the thought of being able to have fun with her friend again, and slowly let sleep take over her.

* * *

_"Rukia, why did you leave?"  
"Rukia. . . Is art school more important than your friends?"  
"Rukia. . ."__**  
**_"RUKIA! GET UP, MIDGET!"  
"Hmm?" Rukia awakened from her slumber and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Wha?" She looked around and found that students were getting off the bus. She turned to find Ichigo, who poked her forehead.  
"We're here, sleepy head." She rubbed her forehead and got up from her seat. She looked out the window as her eyes adjusted and squealed in delight. She pushed through the horde of students trying to get of the bus and ran out of the door. She gasped in delight at the sight before her. Her eyes sparkling with excitement as she stared at the place before here. Snow, snow everywhere as the eye could see.  
"YUKI DA!"

* * *

**A/N: I think I'm going to end it here. So yeah, I'll try updating as often as I can, and since holidays are coming up from where I am (Australia), I can write heaps more! Oh and if you don't know, I have recently started a new Ichiruki fic based on the Hunger Games, (called 24 Deaths, 24 Days) so if you want, go check it out.**

**Until next time. . . **


	8. Realisation in the Snow (Part 2)

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**Disclaimer: I don't Bleach**

**Warning: Slight OOCness. . .**

* * *

Chapter 8- Realisation in the Snow (Part 2)

Love is a strange thing. It can cause immense happiness for a single person, but at times, it can cause grief and sadness for someone else. To fall in love is a risk. Whether or not you take that risk and confess to someone, is completely your choice. When she had broken up with Ichigo, she felt extremely guilty yet relieved at the same time. Guilty, because it was mainly her fault and she didn't like to hurt anyone's feelings. But, also relieved because she could finally date Ulquiorra without worry. Meeting Ulquiorra was fate, or so that's what she would think of it as. Falling in love with him was out of her control. But, choosing to confess and date him was **her** choice. These were the thoughts that were running through Inoue Orihime's head as she slid down the ski hill at top speed. So as Orihime skiied down the hill, she didn't notice a certain raven haired girl in her direct path.

"KUCHIKI-SAN!" _Hmm? Who's calling me? _Rukia carefully turned around, wearing her skis, only to find Orihime, rushing towards her at an indescribable speed. Rukia didn't get the chance to do or say anything when everything went black.

* * *

_"I-I'm so sorry about breaking your chappy doll!" A tiny Orihime was on the verge of tears, bowing repeatedly at Rukia, who was cleaning up the shattered porcelain mess on the grass.  
"It's okay. . . errr?"  
"Inoue Orihime!" Her voice was shaking with fear. "I-I'm sorry!" She bent down to help Rukia pick up the porcelain pieces, when a tiny shard had pierced through her skin, causing her to whimper in pain. Rukia's eyes widened at the girl's sudden bleeding finger and rummaged through her tiny backpack to find a band aid. She unwrapped it and carefully placed it on Orihime's bleeding cut. Orihime sniffed and bowed again.  
"Thank you for the band aid!" She quickly went back to picking up the porcelain pieces. A smile appeared on Little Rukia's face. She reached down and took Orihime's hand in hers. Orihime looked up, confused at why she wasn't angry at her. Rukia laughed softly. Of course, she had been angry at first, but after seeing Orihime's __**efforts**__, she couldn't help but feel. . . happy. No one had ever really gone through that much just to apologize for a broken doll, as they would just pay for another one. So Rukia looked into Orihime's teary eyes and said:  
"It's okay. . . How about to make up for it, you become my friend for a day?" Orihime was startled at Rukia's request but smiled.  
"Of course! But um, what was your name again?"  
"Rukia. My name is Kuchiki Rukia."_

_Why is this particular scene playing out in my head? _Rukia opened her eyes slowly, the light piercing at them. It took her a few seconds to adjust to the bright light, when she realised that she was surrounded by familiar faces.  
"She's waking up!" In front of her, was Rangiku, Orihime, Tatsuki and Yoruichi-sensei. It took a while for Rukia to finally realised what had happened. Orihime had appeared out of no where and crashed into her.  
"Man, you gave us a real scare, Kuchiki." Yoruichi grinned at Rukia and stood up from her chair. "I guess that means I'm not needed anymore, am I right?" She continued grinning, and walked out of the room. Rukia looked at her surroundings. She seemed to be in a heated lodge, which explained why she hadn't felt cold. She was also on a bed, under the covers. She suddenly felt a trembling figure and looked down to see what/who it was. Orihime, in all her glory, was crying into the covers.  
"I-Inoue?" Orihime looked up at Rukia.  
"K-Kuchiki-san! I-I'm so glad you're okay!" Rukia was taken back by her friend's sobbing expression, mostly because Orihime was always bubbly and radiating happiness. Then, a little Orihime crouching in front of a porcelain doll, popped into her head. She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Orihime's crying figure. Rukia looked at Tatsuki and Rangiku pleadingly and the both of them walked out of the lodge, smiling knowingly at each other. Rukia looked back down at Orihime and patted her back comfortingly.  
"No need to cry, Inoue. It's not like I'm badly injured or anything."  
"But I should've been more careful! I was too deep in my thoughts to see where I was going. . ." Rukia raised an eyebrow. _Too deep in her thoughts? That's a rarity, not being mean or anything. . . _  
"What were you thinking about?" Orihime stopped crying almost immediately and stiffened. Rukia's eyebrow raised even higher. "Inoue?" Orihime released herself from Rukia's hold and, looked up at Rukia, teary-eyed.  
"I-I was thinking about Ulquiorra-kun and Kurosaki-kun" was what she managed to choke out before the waterworks came back. But, this time she wasn't crying because of Rukia, it was because of her guilt for breaking up with Ichigo. Thankfully, Rukia knew that and simply listened, while Orihime let it all out.

* * *

Night had rolled around and teachers gathered the students up, and took them to the dinner lodge, for. . . well dinner. Everyone was sitting around 4 longs tables, set up with platters and cutlery.  
"ITADAKIMASU!" Everyone shouted before digging into the feast set out before them. Ichigo was sitting next to Renji and Rangiku, while Rukia and Orihime sat in front of him.

30 minutes passed and everyone had been chatting or sitting contentedly while they waited for dessert. Rangiku let out a sigh of content and patted her stomach.  
"I feel so full right now." All she received were nods of approval from arround the table. She peered at her friends, her eyes laid on an extremely bored Rukia, and she smiled, which seemed a little sinister.  
"Hey, guys. . . wanna play dares?" Looks of uncertainty were exchanged between the friends as they knew of her choice of dares were rather. . . _colourful. _Everyone knew except for Rukia, who had never experienced Rangiku's _interesting _plans. Rukia, unsuspectingly, smiled at Rangiku.  
"Sure, let's play." Everyone who had heard Rukia's agreement, gave her pitiful looks and sympathetic smiles.

"So. . . err Matsumoto-san, why don't you begin?" Everyone watched intently at Rangiku, who was thinking up of a dare for Rukia. Ichigo shook his head and looked at Rukia.  
"Oi, are you sure you want to do this?" She looked at Ichigo questioningly.  
"What do you mea-"  
"I'VE GOT IT!" Rangiku grinned evilly at her.  
"Oh do tell. I want to know what everyone is so afraid of." Rukia crossed her arms.  
"Oh are you sure, Rukia-chan? You can always back out." Rukia shook her head.  
"No way. I want to know what's so hard about the dares you choose." Rangiku grinned even wider.  
"We need more people like you in our school. But, to be fair, this one is more of an easier one. So. . . Can you sing, Rukia-chan?" Rukia, along with everyone else, stared blankly at her.  
"S-Sing? I. . . not really?"  
"Ehhh? Too bad. You don't have a choice."  
"And what exactly do you have in mind, I do?" Rangiku grabbed a fork and stood up. One foot on the chair and posing like a singer, she smiled.  
"Perform live with my band." Everyone stared blankly at her. Rukia's eyes widened a little.  
"P-Perform?" Everyone turned to stare at Rukia, expecting a straight on refusal. Instead, Rukia stood up, walked towards Rangiku and took out her hand as if waiting for a handshake.  
"Sure why not?" Rangiku grinned even wider, if that was possible, and squealed. She shook Rukia's hand enthusastically.  
"Yes! This will be so much fun!" She let go of her hand, climbed up onto the table and shouted:  
"Everyone! The Karakura Seasons are holding a _very _special performance when we get back to school!" Students around them clapped and excitement grew in the air.  
"Matsumoto-san!" Rangiku, still on the table, turned to find Kyoraku, 2-A's homeroom teacher, standing there.  
"K-Kyoraku-sensei! W-What is it?" Sweat accumulated on her forehead as she looked at the carefree teacher.  
"Well firstly, please get off the table." She was off the table in just a few seconds.  
"Um. Is it wrong to hold a performance when we get back to school, sir?" Kyoraku-sensei, dressed in his pink floral haori, smiled.  
"No! Not at all! In fact I was just wondering if you wanted me to get permission to have it in the school hall!" Rangiku's face lit up in joy.  
"Thank you so much! Please! That would be a great help, sensei!" Kyoraku-sensei chuckled and walked away. Rangiku quickly turned to Rukia.  
"So. . . do you know how to play any instruments?" Rukia thought for a moment before answering.  
"Only piano, bass, guitar and the violin. Is that okay?" Rangiku stared at Rukia in astonishment.  
"Are you kidding me?! That's awesome! Then all we have to do is work on your singing. Unless you have some hidden talent when it comes to singing?" Rukia fake-laughed and then quickly looked at Rangiku seriously.  
"No. Well I've never tried to. . ." Rangiku waved it off.  
"Alright, well first I need to introduce you to the other members of the band!" Rangiku pulled Rukia away from the table. Everyone just stared at their retreating figures blankly and all said the same thing. (A few exceptions of course)  
"What the hell?" Little did they know, that on the inside, Rukia was extremely nervous and was about to have a mental breakdown. _  
What the hell did I just get myself into?!_

* * *

**A/N: Okay so before you berate me for _another _short chapter, I'm just going to say that isn't it better to get regular updates than to get monthly ones? No? Okay. Also, that last part might be because that I had been watching K-ON!... Please don't hate. I know there are people who hate K-ON!. . . but yeah. . . Also, I'm not completely satisfied with how the chapter is structured. So, I'll fix that when I can.  
Thank you for all the reviews!**

**Until next time. . . **


	9. Realisation in the Snow (Part 3)

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. (Oh what a surprise!)**

**Warning: OOCness and Ichiruki fluffiness (to what degree, I do not know)**

* * *

Chapter 9- Realization in the Snow (Part 3)

"_Please listen, students of Karakura High. Due to traffic difficulties, instead of arriving at 5pm, the buses will be expected to arrive at 7:30pm. In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of the day as you please. Lunch will be served at 1pm." _Yoruichi-sensei's voice boomed out of the loudspeakers which were attached to each of the lodges. Luggages was piled up in front of each lodge, waiting for someone to collect them. Most students chatted excitedly at the news of the delay and went off to ski in the mountains.

* * *

Rukia, clutching the ends of her coat, scanned the barren area for her fellow roommates. She glanced at her watch and narrowed her eyes at the time. _2:30pm!? Matsumoto-san and the others said that they would meet me here half an hour ago! The temperature seems to be dropping as well. . .I can't believe I lost my scarf yesterday. _Little puffs of warm air escaped her mouth as she breathed. She looked around at her surroundings. She was on top of an empty unknown ski hill. She stared down the hill in wonder. _Strange. Why isn't anyone else skiing on this hill anyway? _She sighed and sat down on the snow. She stared at the blue sky as she thought about what Orihime had said to her in the morning.

_Kuchiki-san." Rukia and Orihime were packing up their things for the ride home else had already packed and were having breakfast in the Dining Lodge (dinner lodge, whatever same thing). Rukia turned to Orihime.  
"What is it, Inoue?" Orihime was clenching onto a piece of clothing that she had been folding. She looked down, her beautiful auburn hair covering her eyes."I-Inoue?" She looked up at Rukia. What was contained in her eyes, caught Rukia off guard. It contained uncertainty and nervousness.  
"D-Do you like Kurosaki-kun?" Rukia stared at her friend with a blank look on her face. A small blush then creeped onto her face as she realized what her friend had said.  
"W-What do you mean 'like'?" Orihime stared at Rukia's colouring face.  
"No-Nothing. Forget I mentioned it." Orihime noticed the skeptical look on Rukia's face and began to flail her hands around. "Like I said! Don't worry about it! Let's just hurry up and pack, ne?" Rukia shrugged and turned back to packing her bags._

The exact same scene had been playing in her head throughout the whole day. _Like? What does it mean to like someone? _Rukia, completely stuck in her thoughts, had failed to realize that Ichigo had come up the hill and was currently staring at Rukia suspiciously. He plonked down next to Rukia, wondering why she was alone and what she was thinking about.  
"Rukia." No response. "Rukia!" Nothing. He sighed. "Oh look! Tickets to the Chappy the Shinigami Convention!" Rukia snapped out of her thoughts immediately and began squealing.  
"Where!? Where!?" Her eyes laid on Ichigo and she sighed. "Oh it's you."  
"Why I feel graced by your presence as well, midget." She ignored his comment on her height as her mind began reeling with questions.  
"Why are you here?" He looked at her questioningly.  
"Why? Is it wrong to be here?" She returned the look.  
"No. I'm just asking. You on your period or something?" He scowled at her and she returned it with one of her own. He sighed and ran his fingers through his orange hair.  
"I just felt like spending sometime alone. I was just roaming around until I found this unoccupied hill. Well I _thought_ it was unoccupied." She glanced back to the view in front of her.  
"Well you thought wrong."  
"My turn. Why are _you_ here?" She pondered for a moment.  
"My roommates said they would meet me here but, as you can see." She looked back at him when no reply was heard and was surprised to see his eyes narrowed.  
"I see." She shrugged and looked back at the snowy scenery before them.

A few minutes of uncomfortable silence passed before Rukia decided to break the ice.  
"Can I ask you something?" He snorted.  
"You just did." She rolled her eyes.  
"You know what I mean, _baka_."  
"Shoot." She immediately became nervous and decided to clench her fists to supress her slight shaking. Her heart rate accelerated as she began to speak.  
"Wh-. . . What does it mean to _like _someone?" She wrapped her arms around her legs and glanced at his face to see his reaction. He seemed _surprised_. He was silent for a moment before answering.  
"_Liking_ someone doesn't have an exact meaning. It's what you feel, Rukia." She was taken back by his reply. _  
_"For once. . . You actually seem to be right." He glared at her before a smirk appeared among his features.  
"Why are you asking? You have the hots for someone?"  
~_Ba-dump~  
_A blush creeped onto her face as she glared at him.  
"N-No! I was just asking!" He put up his hands in defence.  
"Okay! Okay. Just a joke. Wait. . . do you?" Her face was completely red.  
"NO!" He smirked at her reaction.  
"Doesn't seem like it. Oh do tell who this unfortunate person is." She continued to glare at him. She looked down, her raven hair shadowing over her eyes.  
"I don't know if I actually do like this person or not. . ."  
Silence.  
"Well does your heart beat really fast when you see that person?" She thought for a moment.  
"Y-Yeah. . ."  
"Do you think about that person a lot?"  
"I-I guess. . ." She looked down and played around with the snow."  
"Does that person make you happy?" She wondered for a moment. _Does he? _She thought about the times she had spent with him and how she had felt during those times.  
"More or less, yeah."  
"Then, I'm pretty sure you like whoever this unfortunate person is." She glared at him. _Unfortunate?!  
_"Just what are you implying, Strawberry?" Her voice was full of anger.  
"Hey I said not to call me 'strawberry' anymore, midget! And, I was just saying that I feel sorry for whoever this person is." Rukia, fuming with anger, picked up some snow and formed it into a ball. She stood up and chucked it at Ichigo's head. He scowled as she laughed evilly. He made a snowball of his own and stood up. He gave a warning look as he prepared to chuck it at her.  
"_Run, bitch. Run_."

Laughter escaped Rukia's mouth as she ran down the hill whilst dodging the oncoming snowballs.

* * *

It took a while before Rukia stopped to take a rest. She looked back and was not-so-amazed to see that Ichigo had fallen behind. She was always the faster one after all. But, she was quite shocked to see that she had come across a place foreign to her. She had run into the thick woods and took many turns just to make sure he would lose sight of her. She never considered that she might actually get _lost. _She looked around. Trees, trees everywhere. _Okay, calm down. I'll just have to go back the same way I came. Now. . . How did I get here again? _

She wondered around aimlessly before she came to a conclusion. She was lost alright. Extremely. _No no no. It's okay. I'll just have to call someone to come get me. _Trembling, she reached down into her coat pocket for her phone. When she couldn't feel her phone in her pocket, she blinked and searched in her other one.

She blinked again. _Crap._

* * *

An out-of-breath Ichigo came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He looked around, snowball in his hand, and sighed when the was no Rukia in sight. He looked at his watch and groaned. _6:45pm. _The buses would arrive soon and everyone would be crowding around in their designated areas by now.  
"Rukia?" No response. "Rukia?! We should be heading back now!" He glanced around and frowned. "OI RUKIA!" He walked around for a bit, looking for her. _Maybe she's hiding somewhere? _

A few minutes passed before he ended up at the hilltop where it had all started. Worry began to seep into his mind as he called out to her a few more times. He glanced at his watch. _7:00pm. _He began to walk back, down the hill, towards the lodges. _Maybe she went back when she saw the time? _Huge gusts of wind and snow blew in his face. _Oh great, don't tell me there's going to be a blizzard._

As he walked into the main lodge, the huge gusts of wind had intensified and it took him a lot of strength to close the door. Everyone had looked up and sighed to see Ichigo walk in. he walked up to Rangiku, Orihime and Tatsuki. They turned to him, relief etched in their faces.  
"There you are, Ichigo. Keigo and Mizuiro have been looking for you. Apparently there's a blizzard happening outside." Tatsuki patted his back, hard. Worry and confusion took over their faces when realisation hit them.  
"Uh. Ichigo? Where's Rukia?" asked Rangiku, who seemed extremely worried. Ichigo's eyes widened a fraction.  
"She's not with you guys?" They shook their heads and looked at him worriedly.  
"We thought she was with you." Tatsuki said, glancing around in case Rukia had come back. _Okay no need to get worried now. Maybe that midget is with Renji.  
_"Is she with Renji?" They shook their heads again.  
"We just checked a few minutes ago."  
"Did you call her?" This time Orihime answered.  
"We called Kuchiki-san lots of times. She never answered." Okay, now he was starting to get extremely worried. Everyone gasped and turned to the windows as the gusts of wind banged onto the glass. Urahara-sensei's voice bounced around the room as he spoke into the loudspeaker in his hands.  
"_Minna-san! Due to the snow blizzard, the buses will arrive later than expected. Also, please remain in this lodge as it is too dangerous to go outside. Thank you." _Groans and complaints were heared throughout the lodge. _Atleast this lodge is big enough to fit everyone in the 2nd year. _Ichigo looked out the window. It was completely dark and a little _eerie_ outside. He sighed and turned back to the 3 girls.  
"You never know, she might come back before we know it." He had to stay strong, it was something he always kept doing ever since his mother's death.

* * *

Ichigo glanced worriedly at his watch. _7:15. _  
"THAT'S IT!" Startled, he looked at Tatsuki, who was clenching her fist tightly. "Rukia hasn't come back yet, and the teachers _still_ haven't found her!"  
"Tatsuki-chan. . . It's only been 15 minutes. . ." Orihime and Rangiku both placed a comforting hand on both of her shoulders.  
"But, you can't just expect me to sit around and wait for my friend to turn up! I'm going to look for her!" Ichigo walked towards her.  
"No you stay. I'll go look for her." Surprise was evident on all three of their faces as they stared at him.  
"No way, Ichigo. She's my friend. _I'll_ go look for her."  
"Why don't we all go?" Orihime smiled at them, which seemed a little forced. "We'll find her faster if all four of us go." The other three nodded at her suggestion.  
"Actually, Matsumoto-san, you stay here." Rangiku looked at Tatsuki incredulously.  
"Why?"  
"To keep the teachers distracted. There's no way they would let us go out now." Rangiku stared at her, defeated.  
"But- oh fine. But if you guys aren't back in the next hour, I'm telling." They smiled at her apologetically. Rangiku walked towards the teachers, who were seated around a coffee table, and struck up a conversation. She gave the thumbs up to them after a few seconds and Ichigo quickly opened the door and ran out, along with Tatsuki and Orihime. Ichigo decided to go look around where he and Rukia had been around before.  
"I'm going to check around that mountain." Tatsuki and Orihme looked at him questioningly.  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" The wind, Ichigo had realised, was a perfect sound-blocker.  
"I SAID- oh nevermind." He gestured towards the mountain where he had been with Rukia and walked towards it after getting a thumbs up from Tatsuki and Orihime.

* * *

It took a long time for Ichigo to walk up the mountain as the wind had been howling in his face. When he reached the top and looked around, he finally found a thick forest at the bottom on the other side. _How come I didn't notice those woods before!? Rukia is probably lost amongst those trees! _He ran down, towards the forest with a burning determination. He stopped in front of the forest, contemplating on how _not _to get lost like Rukia had. His eyes rested upon a large pile of pebbles. _Oh well, Iooks like I'll have to go all Hansel and Gretel on this. _He grabbed a large handful of pebbles and slowly walked into the forest, hoping that he wouldn't run out of pebbles before finding her.

Call it fate or destiny, but when Ichigo's eyes rested upon a barely conscious Rukia leaning against a fir tree, he felt like he was somehow _connected _with her. That, or he was just really lucky. He dropped the remaing pebbles and ran towards her. He pulled her body into his arms and checked for any signs of damage.  
"Oi, Rukia." She stirred. Her eyes opening a fraction.  
"I. . . chi. . . go?" He smiled, relief pouring into his body.  
"Yeah, it's me." A weak smile graced her features.  
"Oh."  
"You had us worried there for a while you know."  
"Heh. I'm sorry. . ."  
"It's nothing you need to be sorry about, midget." She ignored the insult and stared at him, which made him a little uncomfortable.  
"Ne. . . I'm cold." He smiled genuinely.  
"Glad to know you're alright. Here" He took off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck. "Better?"  
"Better. . ." The sound of his phone ringing broke the silence between them. Holding Rukia with one hand, he grabbed his phone and flipped it open.  
"Hello?"  
"_Ichigo?_"  
"What is it Tatsuki?"  
"_I found her mobile phone._" Rukia, who had heard this, sheepishly looked away from his glare.  
"Oh okay. Well I found Rukia." Silence. Had she heard him? He brought his phone away from his ear to check to see if it was still connected. It was. "Tatsu-"  
"_WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU CALL US THEN!?_"  
"Hey! I had to check if she was still alive okay?!" Rukia glared at him. As if she would die from a blizzard. She was Kuchiki Rukia.  
". _. . . . is she?_" Rukia facepalmed herself before demanding the phone. He obliged and handed her the phone.  
"Hey Tatsuki." Her voice still sounded weak from the cold experience.  
"_WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, KUCHIKI RUKIA!?_" She winced at her friend's loud voice.  
"I got lost." She laughed nervously.  
"_LOST!? You should know better than to go places on your own! And I bet you lost your phone as well didn't you?_" She laughed weakly.  
"Hehe. . . yeah." She heard Tatsuki sigh.  
"_Just get back to the lodge. Orihime and I will meet you there._" She hung up and placed the phone in Ichigo's hands.  
"I'm guessing you know the way back?" He nodded and stood up.  
"Can you stand on your own?" Her legs wobbled a bit and shivered from the cold. She just _had _to have no _common sense _and forget to wear stockings. He sighed and picked her up, bridal style. A traitorous blush creeped up onto her face.  
"W-What are you doing, _baka_!?"  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She glared at him. And berated herself for allowing him to carry her. He followed the pebbles he had dropped and guided them out of the forest.

Thankfully and miraculously, the blizzard had calmed down. As he walked up the hill, Rukia murmured something.  
"Hm?"  
"I said. Thank you." He smirked.  
"Oh? What's this? The midget is _thanking _me? Since when did I earn such a privilage?" She looked up at him and glared.  
"Oh shut up, Strawberry-kun~"  
"Oi! I said not to call me that!"  
"And I said not to call me midget!"  
"Looks like you two lovebirds are safe." It had never occured to Rukia that they had reached their destination. The both of them looked up to see Tatsuki and Orihime. Tatsuki was grinning at them and Orihme was beaming. Rukia blushed and jumped out of his arms immediately. He simply shrugged it off.  
"Here, Rukia." Tatsuki held out Rukia's mobile phone. Rukia took it and thanked her.  
"Come on. Let's go inside before we get caught." They all nodded and walked cautiously into the lodge. Fortunately, the teachers were still distracted by Rangiku and her gossiping session.  
"And then- RUKIA!" Rangiku had completely forgotten about what she was talking about and hugged Rukia, who had tapped her shoulder to interrupt.  
"My my, good to see you're okay, Kuchiki. Good thing that Ichigo saved you." The five of them widened their eyes.  
"You knew?" Yoruichi-sensei laughed at their shocked faces.  
"I saw Ichigo, Arisawa and Inoue sneak out. I had a feeling that they would do that anyway." Worry entered their minds as the four of them exchanged glances. Yoruichi-sensei, who noticed their worry, simpy laughed.  
"Oh don't worry. No one's going to tell the principal. Right everyone?" The other teachers nodded, smiling at their bravery of going out to get a friend. Relief washed over the five of them. Rukia, who was still getting suffocated by Rangiku, gently pushed her friend off.  
"M-Matsumoto-san. . . can't. . . breathe." Rangiku reluctantly let go of her. Rangiku grabbed her hand and turned to the others.  
"We'll just be a minute guys." She then pulled her away to a more private part of the lodge. Rukia, who was confused by her friend's antics, looked at her questioningly.  
"What is it? Matsumoto-san?" Rangiku gave her a serious look which confused her even more.  
"I want to talk about our performance. And due to the bus delay and everything I suggest we postpone it til next week. Today is Friday. . . so how about next Tuesday? We can practise on the weekend."  
"I guess that could work." Rangiku smiled at her.  
"It's going to be a lot of fun! Oh and I've already decided what song we'll be doing!"  
"What song?"

* * *

Rangiku and Rukia returned back to Orihime and Tatsuki.  
"Where did Ichigo go?"  
"Ah! Kuchiki-san, Matsumoto-san! Kurosaki-kun went to hang with Abarai-kun and the other guys."  
"I see. . ." Rangiku struck up a conversation with Tatsuki while Orihme talked to Rukia.  
"So. . . what did you and Matsumoto-san talk about?"  
"Oh nothing much."  
"_EVERYONE~! The buses are here!" _Everyone began to bustle about and chat excitedly.

Once Rukia had gotten on the bus, she had realised that yet again, she was separated from the others. She scanned the bus for vacant seats and gulped when she realised the only one was the one next to Ichigo. She slowly walked towards him and sat down next to him. He noticed her presence and nodded in acceptance. She took out her phone and began to text Orihime. It was going to be a _long _ride and she was going to spend it next to someone she didn't exactly want to sit next to.

And after all that confusion and uncertainty she went through during the whole ski trip, she smiled at the fact that she now knew her true feelings.

As strange as it sounds, she was in love with her soon-to-be-husband, Kurosaki Ichigo.

* * *

**A/N: A longer-than-usual chapter this time! Woo! I tried real hard to just keep typing without trying to cut it off and post it right away when I felt like it (yeah that's what I normally do .-. ). What do you think of this chapter? Please leave your thoughts and so on. Thank you to xxrxuxsxtxyx, ilovebks (here's your longer chapter :3) and that guest reviewer! I recently got a Tumblr account and let me tell you: Looking at all those ichiruki gifs and pictures made my day :D**

**P.S For those who read_ 24 Deaths, 24 Days_:  
Sorry I haven't updated yet! I got caught up in watching the anime: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! In fact I was pretty lucky to get enough time away from watching that anime to update this fanfiction. So yeah. . . sorry about that. I'll update soon.**

**Until next time. . .**


	10. Chapter 95: Omake

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: Sorry for the huge delay! I have a pretty legitimate reason: Life. Seriously though, It's not exactly my fault that my teachers seem to love to give me time-consuming assignments. **

**Also, this wasn't meant to be an omake, it was actually meant to be a chapter. But, I couldn't exactly think of anything else, so I'm terribly sorry about that. I promise to update sooner next time!**

**Warning: OOCness and certain cases of fluff**

Chapter 9.5: Omake

Rukia stared at the sick, sleeping boy in front of her. She sighed, stood up from her chair beside his bed, and changed the piece of wet cloth on his forehead. He opened his eyes an inch and looked at her.  
"You. . . Don't you have to go practice with Rangiku-san's band?" She opened her mouth as if to say something, but was cut off when the 'Chappy the Shinigami' battle theme started playing from her jeans pocket. She reached into her pocket and took out her vibrating phone. She looked at the caller ID and facepalmed. She nervously pressed the 'answer' button and placed the phone to her ear.  
"H-Hello?"  
"_RUKIA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" _Wincing at the sudden loud noise, she quickly walked out of the room in which she was previously occupying and closed the door behind her. She leaned on the bedroom door before replying.  
"Sorry, Matsumoto-san. Uhh. . . I had . . . _things _to take care of." A sigh of relief was heard on the other side of hte phone call.  
"Uhh. . . Matsumoto-san? Why do you sound so relieved?"  
"I've been calling for the past hour! I started to worry that you were kidnapped or something!" Rukia widened her eyes when she realised what had happened. _I turned my phone off so Ichigo could get some proper rest. . . I was so caught up in taking care of him that I had forgotten about practise as well. . . I seriously need to use that scheduler that nii-sama got me for christmas...  
_"I had my phone turned off for a while . . . but wait. . . I turned it back on half an hour ago!"  
". . . Oh. I stopped calling half an hour ago because Soi Fon told me to leave the matter alone. . . ANYWAY. What are you doing that's so important anyway?"  
". . . I. . . I can't say."  
"Oh well. Just make sure you're here tomorrow. Same time, same place. Got it?" Rukia nodded even though she knew Matsumoto couldn't see her.  
"Yeah. I'm really sorry, Matsumoto-san."  
"You don't need to be so formal. You can just call me Rangiku."  
"Okay, Rangiku-san."  
"Bye."  
"Bye." Rukia ended the call and sighed. She seemed to be doing that a lot these days. Not that she knew why though. She placed the phone in her pocket and turned around to open the door. Ichigo was sitting up in his bed, his cheecks red due to his fever.  
"Ichigo, you should get some rest." She closed the door behind her and made her way towards him.  
"Nah. . . I'm feeling better than before . . . you can go to your practise session . . . don't mind me." She placed her hands on her hips and scowled.  
"Why? Do you not want me to help take care of you?" He stared blankly at her for a moment before lying back down and pulling the covers over his head.  
"Fine . . . your loss." She never knew that he was turning redder from embarrassment.

All was well so far, Ichigo was getting some sleep, and Rukia was off doing whatever she did in her free time. Everything was nice and quiet, until . . .  
"KYAA!" Ichigo's eyes snapped open at the sound of Rukia's scream. He pulled his covers off and rushed towards Rukia's room, his head throbbing in pain. Slamming the door open, he glanced around worriedly.  
"Rukia! Are you-"He stopped short when his eyes laid upon Rukia, who was staring at her laptop squealing in delight? _Wait, squealing!? _She turned to him, her eyes full of delight, which was replaced with concern when she realized who was at her door.  
"Ichigo? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He facepalmed when he realized what had happened.  
"Rukia, were you fangirling _again_?" She crossed her arms.  
"Yeah, _so_?" He scowled.  
"Well I can't sleep if I keep hearing you squeal every time!" She glared at him icily.  
"Are you done?"  
"Wh-What?"  
"I said, are you done?" He stared at her in disbelief.  
"And what do you mean by that?"  
"It just so happens that you barged in at the wrong time, Carrot-top."  
"What's so important about what you're doing right now?" Sighing in annoyance, she patted the space on the bed next to her. He walked over, his head still throbbing painfully, and sat next to her on the bed. She took an earphone out of her ear and gave it to him. She gestured at the laptop screen in front of them. He watched closely as she clicked 'play'.

He was never going to barge in on Rukia watching anime again._ Ever_. After watching what Rukia had been fangirling to, she had insisted on him watching more of the anime. Of course, he immediately refused, but when he saw the look on her face, he simply grunted and sat back down on the bed next to her. All in all, he had witnessed multiple bunnies wearing strange clothing, which she called a _shihakusho_, fly around and kill these things called, 'Hollows'. Yet, by some miracle, his cold had disappeared right after he finished watching the whole anime with Rukia, which he was grateful for.

What he wasn't grateful for, was the fact that Rukia had woken up with a cold the very next morning.


	11. Meeting Rangiku's Band,Karakura Seasons!

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: Prepare for the Author's Note at the end.**

* * *

Chapter 10- Meeting Rangiku's Band, Karakura Seasons!

_-Monday-_

"RUKIA~!" The said raven-haired girl turned around to the sound of the familiar voice, only to be met by two very large -ahem- _assets_.

"M-Matsumoto-san. . . " Rangiku glanced down at the struggling girl in her arms, and immediately let go.

"Rukia! I hope you remember what tomorrow is!" Rukia smoothened out her skirt. _Tomorrow? _

"Uh. . .No?"

"Tomorrow is the day you fulfill that dare! You remember now?"

"Oh. . . Sorry, I kind of forgot."

"That's alright, you seemed busy on Saturday and you did have a cold yesterday, so don't sweat it. It just means that we'll have to make up for it after school." Rukia nodded. She did feel extremely guilty about not being able to make it to the practice sessions.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

_-Time Skip: End of Math Class-_

Rukia's eyes widened as she stared at the red mark on her test paper. _I got 46%!? Why? _She quickly flicked through all the pages of the text booklet, gaping at all the red 'X's she had received. Closing the booklet, she laid her head down on the desk in misery. _I guess it's not that surprising. . . I suck at maths anyway._

"Kuchiki-san~ You seem rather disappointed." She raised her head up.

"To be honest, I'm not surprised, Urahara-sensei."

"Oh? And why is that?" He sat on the desk beside hers and fanned himself, grinning goofily.

"I'm sure you've noticed, that I am terrible at math." He continued to grin.

"Yes, I have."

"Then, is there a reason to why you asked me that question?"

"Sometimes, it's better to say your problems out loud." She pondered this for a moment, thinking that the strange teacher actually had a point.  
"Well, since there is another 2nd year math exam coming up, you could use it to redeem yourself." She nodded and suddenly, and idea popped into her head.

"Is it possible, for you to help me study, sensei?" He closed up his fan and looked at her, smiling mischievously.

"Sorry, I don't have enough time to tutor a student~" She sighed.

"I guess you're right. . ." She began to pack up her things.  
"I don't want to be late for science, so. . . Goodbye, sensei."

"You could always get a friend to help, you know." She paused for a moment, then continued to place her stationery into her bag.

"I guess." She zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'm sure Kurosaki-san will be _glad _to help you." She froze.  
"The both of you are _friends_ aren't you? I'm sure he wouldn't turn down a _friend's_ request." She shrugged and walked towards the door.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he sucks at math." _Just like how he has bad social skills. _Urahara's grin grew wider.

"Oh no. Actually, he's quite good at math. In fact, he's the best out of the whole of the 2nd years. After all, he came first in the exam." She froze again, her eyes widening. _No way. . . that carrot-top is actually good at math?! Now that I think about it. . . he is also in the advanced English class with me. . ._

"I'll think about it. Goodbye, Urahara-sensei." She continued to walk out the door. As if she would swallow her pride and ask him to help her with math. _All I have to do is study more. I'm sure I'll get better after some vigorous studying. Yep, I don't have to ask that baka to help me._

* * *

_-Lunch- _

"Kuchiki-san! Would you like to try some of my mayo and rose-water sushi?" Rukia smiled nervously at her bubbly auburn-haired friend. They were sitting under a tree in the corner of the schoolyard.

"No, no. It's okay. . ." Orihime's face saddened.

"Why not?" Rukia opened her mouth as if to speak, but was cut off by a male voice.

"She's allergic to roses." She and Orihime glanced up at the newcomer.

"Kurosaki-kun! Eh? How'd you know Kuchiki-san is allergic to rose-water." Rukia raised an eyebrow at him_. __Yeah. . .**how** did he know? _

"You probably forgot, but when she drank some rose tea, she had an allergic reaction." _Oh. . . wait when did that happen? _

"Really? I forgot all about it. . .I'm so sorry, Kuchiki-san!" She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Inoue." She glanced back at Ichigo, who was scowling at some nearby male students(*WINK WINK*)*****.

"Ichigo? Why are you scowling at those guys?" He turned back to her.

"No reason. Anyway, I came here because Rangiku-san wouldn't shut up about giving this to you." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bracelet, and handed it to her.

"What is it?" She took it from him and inspected it. It was a charm bracelet. It had four charms attached to it: an Autumn leaf, a sun, a daffodil and a snowflake. He shrugged.

"I don't really know, but Rangiku-san said something about it 'symbolizing the bond of Karakura Seasons'. Just ask her later." As he walked away, she continued to stare at the bracelet.

"Kuchiki-san! Can I see it?" She nodded and held it out for her to see.  
"It's so pretty. . . Don't you think?"

"I guess it is."

* * *

_- After School -_

"Rukia~! The time has finally come!" Rangiku had literally dragged Rukia out of the classroom once the bell, signaling the end of school, had gone.

"Um. . . Matsu- Rangiku-san, where exactly are we going?" Rangiku looked back at Rukia and smiled, the excitement clearly written all over her face.

"You'll see."

_- Time Skip -_

Rukia stared at the building in front of her, confused.

"Rangiku-san?"

"What is it?"

"Why are we in front of Seireitei Academy?"

"The thing is, Karakura Season's other members are from Seireitei Academy, and since their music room is free of any after school clubs, we're using it for practice. Anyway, let's go." Rangiku walked off before Rukia could say anything. Not wanting to be left behind, Rukia followed Rangiku into the school building. As they walked up the stairs, Rukia looked around, amazed. Seireitei Academy was a performing arts school after all, and if Rukia hadn't gotten accepted into Tokyo Performing Arts, she would've entered Seireitei Academy. She stared at the awards and paintings hanging on the wall. One caught Rukia's eye in particular:

_Kurosaki Yuzu  
National Ballet Competition, 1st Place_

_Kurosaki Yuzu? As in Ichigo's younger sister? I haven't seen his sisters in such a long time. . . How-?_ Before Rukia could finish her thoughts, she bumped into Rangiku, who had stopped abruptly in front of a door. It had a gold label, which said: _'Music Room 004'_

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there."

"It's okay. . . So is this the place?" Rangiku nodded and reached for the door knob, but not before saying:

"I'm sure you'll get along with everyone else." And with that, she opened the door to reveal a room which had a grand piano, a few guitars leaning on the wall, microphones w/ stands, and more. There were three people already in the room, each doing their own thing. One, with light blonde pigtails, was testing out the drumkit. Another had short black hair along with two braids wrapped in cloth, was playing around on the bass. The last person seemed extremely familiar to Rukia. She was shorter and clearly younger than everyone else. She had jet-black hair, which was tied up in a pony tail. Rukia stared at the young girl in deep curiosity and wonder. _Where have I seen this person before? _

"Everyone! I brought Rukia~!" Everyone looked up from what they were doing. As the young girl looked up from what looked like strumming a red guitar, Rukia gasped in realization.

It was Kurosaki Karin.

* * *

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER~ (I think). Anyway, sorry for not updating in like FOREVER. I'll try keep this rant as short as possible. First of all, thank you to those who have followed and reviewed!**

***I wonder who understands what I meant by that statement?***** try figure it out if you don't.**

**Replies To Reviews... (because I never do this and I should.. starting from those who reviewed the omake~)**

**xxrxuxsxtxyx: Thank you for always reviewing~! And since you seem to like being mentioned in the Author's Note, here you go ;) Haha. Nice name you got there as well (you have no idea how many times I've doubted myself that I spelt your name wrong XD).**

**Guest: Is the spacing in this chapter more to your liking? I've been wondering whether that bothers people or not, so I hope this is better. Thanks for reading :)**

**BaskinxxRobins: Thank you~!. By the way, your name reminds me of an ice-cream shop :3 Hehe.**

**AbeYanCe101: I like your thinking. . . I was going to add something like that anyway. . . so *SPOILER ALERT*. LOL. Anyway, I'll try to update sooner! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Now that's done. . . feel free to skip the next thing...  
I met Masakazu Morita (Ichigo's voice actor) on Saturday at SMASH! (Anime/manga convention). He was there for an autograph signing thing and I got him to sign my bleach manga :3 Back to the point. My friend, Kysarin Natsumoto (who's another author here,) asked him (in Japanese) whether he ships Ichiruki (something like that), and he said that he, himself likes Rukia a lot, but he's not sure about Ichigo :3.**

**INDIRECT ICHIRUKINESS *disco party***

**Okay I'm done with my rant.**

**Until next time. . . **


	12. Melodies and Younger Sisters

I Hate You, Let's Get Married

**A/N: Sorry for not updating like usual. . . All I can say is that I'll update more regularly the next time! Karin and Yuzu are 15 for the sake of this fic. **

**Warning: Usual stuff. Oh and there's a tense change so look for that.**

**Disclaimer: Meh.**

* * *

Chapter 11- Melodies and Younger Sisters

Rukia stared at the young girl. She had changed, she wasn't the little tomboy Rukia knew anymore. Standing in front of Rukia, was a 15-year-old girl wearing a high school uniform, which consisted of a _skirt_. Rukia had never seen her wear something like a skirt before, since she had always had a tomboyish nature.

"Everyone! This girl here is Kuchiki Rukia!" Rangiku's cheery voice broke through Rukia's train of thought. She bowed to the girls, feeling a little anxious. _I can talk to Karin later._ She thought, her mind still wondering about the Kurosaki twin.

"Um, I'm Kuchiki Rukia, it's nice to meet you all."

"No need to be so formal!" The girl with short blonde pigtails, had walked up to her and slapped her on the back. "My name is Sarugaki Hiyori."

"I'm Soi Fon." The girl with black braids simply looked back down and resumed to play the bass.

"Don't worry about Soi Fon, she's always cold towards others." Rukia nodded at Rangiku's words. Hiyori removed her hand from Rukia's back and turned to Karin.

"Oi! Karin! Shouldn't you introduce yourself?" Rukia sweat-dropped, not sure on how Karin was going to react. Karin simply placed the red guitar down and walked up to her, her bangs overshadowing her eyes. To her surprise, Karin smirked at Rukia and gave her a hug, confusing her greatly. _What?_

"Ruki-nee, it's been a while." Rukia awkwardly placed her arms around the girl, still extremely confused. Rangiku, Hiyori and even Soi Fon, gawked at her. Rangiku pointed at Karin and Rukia, with a questioning look on her face.

"_Ruki-nee_? You guys know each other!?" Karin released Rukia and shrugged.

"Pretty much. Ruki-nee used to be close with Ichi-nii a while back." Rukia facepalmed and Rangiku became even more astonished. Hiyori and Soi Fon simply nodded and went back to practicing their instruments, accepting Karin's answer.

"Rukia! Why didn't you tell me that you used to be close with Ichigo?!" The said girl simply shrugged, avoiding eye contact with Rangiku.

"It's not really a big deal. . ."

"I'm pretty sure it's a big deal. . . I mean you guys are enga-" Rukia quickly placed a hand over Karin's mouth, a tinge of pink on her face.

"What? What? Why what's going with you guys?"

"_Nothing_ is going on. Can we just start practicing?" Karin removed Rukia's hand from her mouth, releasing a breath of relief. Rangiku stared at Rukia for a moment before sending her a knowing look.

"Sure thing. But, you know if you want to convince people nothing is going on, then you shouldn't blush." This caused Rukia to blush harder, while Karin tried to suppress a laugh.

"Okay, Okay. Guys, let's stop gossiping and start figuring stuff out for the performance okay?" Hiyori said, also trying to suppress a laugh. Rangiku nodded, then dragged Rukia by the arm over to an array of guitars, Karin following behind.

"Rukia, you can go ahead and choose a guitar for practice. Do you have one at home that you can use on the day?"

"Yeah." She stared at the guitars, deep in thought, before finally picking up a metallic blue one. "I think I'll use this one."

* * *

Rukia pushed the key into it's hole and opened the door, Karin following close behind.

"_Tadaima_." Ichigo came walking down the stairs, a towel around his shoulder, and his hair dripping wet. He also seemed to be reading a history textbook. _Boring. _Rukia thought.

"Oi, Rukia. I thought I told you not to leave your _Chappy the Shinigami_ manga lying aro-" He had finally looked up and was gawking at Karin, who was staring absentmindedly around.

"Uh. . .Karin wanted to sleepover?" Rukia laughed sheepishly.

"Wha-"

"Yo, Ichi-nii. I'm crashing here tonight, kay?" Ichigo looked at his sister incredulously, then turned to Rukia, asking for an explanation.

"Rukia?" Rukia simply walked past him, tired from practice.

"Don't ask." He turned back to Karin, who was smiling evilly.

"Uh. You can share Rukia's room, but did you ask dad for permission?"

"Yeah. He asked me to take lots of pictures of you guys together 'in action'." Ichigo grew silent, before walking away muttering something along the lines of: 'I'm going to kill that old man.'

* * *

Karin was observing Rukia and Ichigo throughout dinner (Karin was sitting next to Rukia, across from Ichigo). It was quiet. _Too_ quiet. Karin sighed, annoyed, and slammed her fists on the table, startling the two.

"Uh. Karin? You okay?" Rukia placed a comforting hand on Karin's shoulder. Karin simply stood up, the sound of the chair dragging across the wooden floor piercing the silence, grabbed her bowl and chopsticks, and walked away, muttering incomprehensible word to herself. She dropped her bowl and chopsticks into the sink.

"I'm going to go take a bath." She walked up the stairs and towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut, leaving a deafening silence in her wake. Rukia and Ichigo went back to eating, the each of them making a mental note to talk to the girl later.

* * *

Rukia knocked on the bathroom door, holding a towel and spare pajamas.

"Karin? I'm coming in." She took the silence as an okay and opened the door. She placed the towel and pajamas on top of the laundry basket(A/N:I was stuck on where to make her put it lol), and walked out the door. As she closed the door, Karin's voice stopped her.

"Ruki-nee? Can I talk to you?" She went back in and sat on the edge of the bathtub.

"What is it?"

"Do you like Ichi-nii?" The question stopped Rukia's thought process.

". . . I-I like him as a friend?"

"No, I mean do you 'like _like_' him?" She asked, placing emphasis on the _like_.

"Uh." Karin stared intently at the raven-haired girl. Rukia was stumped. Should she say the truth? Or laugh it off and tell Karin that she was going delusional?

"I-" Cue the intense blushing. "Yeah. I-I L-Like Ichigo." She was frustrated at herself for stuttering. She glanced at Karin, wondering how she would react. She was smiling, something un-Karin-like.

"Good." Now it was Rukia's turn to smile.

Little did they know, Ichigo was standing outside, back pressed against the door. He sighed, then walked off to his room.

* * *

**_The next day after school..._**

"Quick! They're about to start performing!" Orihime said to Tatsuki, excitement clear on her face.

"Ehh?! Really?! Just wait, I have to get my camera ready!" Tatsuki dug around her school bag for her camera.

"Hurry! I can't wait to see Kuchiki-san perform!"

"I know, I know." Tatsuki rummaged around her bag again until her hands rested upon her camera. Grinning, she turned to Orihime.

"Let's go. . .Orihime?" Tatsuki's eyes scanned the room, stopping as her eyes found the auburn-haired girl talking to a certain carrot-top. She walked up to them.

"Kurosaki-kun, you're not going to see the performance?" Ichigo swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Nah. You guys go ahead. Take a video of it." Tatsuki stared at Ichigo, it was clear something was up with the boy, but she couldn't place her finger on what it was. _Now that I think about it, he was avoiding her the whole day. __Did they have an argument or something? _

"Are you sure, Ichigo? Rukia's going to be in it as well. Aren't you interested to see how it will turn out?" He simply walked away, waving a hand at them. _What the hell? Oh well, they can handle it themselves. _

"C'mon, Orihime, we're going to be late." Orihime nodded, looking worriedly at Ichigo's retreating back. _Did something happen with you and Kuchiki-san?_

* * *

Rukia took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm her racing heart and nervousness. Soi Fon noticed Rukia's anxiety and placed a hand on her shoulder. The both of them had gotten to know each other and had become friends in the little time they had.

"Don't worry, Kuchiki. You'll do fine. Just remember the lyrics and chords and you'll be fine." Rukia nodded, a little bit relieved, but was still shaking with nervousness.

"Guys! It's time! Take your positions!" Rangiku's voice rang out across the stage covered by the curtain. Rukia clenched her fists and walked up to the front, whilst holding onto the neck of her snowy white guitar. _I can do this. _She looked back at the others. Rangiku was running her fingers along her electric keyboard. Karin was beside Rukia, giving her a thumbs up. Soi fon was on the other side of Rukia, re-checking her black bass, while Hiyori was adjusting her seat behind the drum kit. Finally, she took a final deep breath as the curtains rose.

The blinding lights aimed towards the stage was the first thing Rukia saw. Next, was the cheering students of Karakura High. She scanned the place for people she knew. She saw Orihime and Tatsuki, waving excitedly at her. _Ichigo's not here. . . He should've been here for Karin, right? _

"HEL-LO KARAKURA HIGH~!" The crowd replied to Rangiku with roars of excitement. "As you can see, instead of I playing lead guitar and singer, we have the wonderful Kuchiki Rukia! I'll be accompanying on the keyboard today! Don't worry! I hope you'll all love Rukia as much as we do!" The crowd quiets down a little at the news, which angers Rukia a little. _Pfft. I'll show them that even _I_ can sing._

"Rangiku-san, we should probably get this performance started."

"Oh you're right, Karin! Hehe. Let's get this started!" The crowd silences as the first few chords are played softly, the sound rebounding off the walls. Rukia, takes a silent breath and begins to sing.

_[Rukia]  
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume_

Ookina kibou wasurenai

Juu nen go no hachigatsu

Mata deaeru no wo shinjite

Saikou no omoide wo...

The crowd gasps as they hear Rukia's deep, yet beautiful voice. After the few seconds of the extremely short instrumental intro, Rukia begins to sing again, this time, with more confidence, along with the entrance of the drums and an acoustic guitar, played by Karin.

_Deai wa futto shita shunkan kaerimichi no kousaten de  
_  
_Koe wo kakete kureta ne "issho ni kaerou"_

Rukia leans back from the microphone and Karin takes over.

_**[Karin]**_

_**Boku wa terekusa sou ni kaban de kao wo kakushi nagara  
**__**  
Hontou wa totemo totemo ureshikatta yo **_**  
**  
Karin is then backed up with Rangiku.

_**[W/ Rangiku]**_

_**Aa hanabi ga yozora kirei ni saite chotto setsunaku**_

Aa kaze ga jikan to tomo ni nagareru

Rangiku leans back from the mic as Karin takes full control.

_**Ureshiku tte tanoshiku tte bouken mo iroiro shita ne**_

Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka

All three join in as Karin reaches the chorus. During this, a certain orange head quietly enters the hall.

_**[Rukia, Karin and Rangiku]**_

_**Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume Ookina kibou wasurenai  
**__**  
**__**Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite **_

Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite 

Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" Sakendeita koto 

Shiteita yo 

Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne

Rukia smiles as she proudly sings the last line of the chorus.  
_  
Saikou no omoide_ wo... This time, Rukia is joined by Rangiku.

_[W/ Rangiku]_

_Aa natsuyasumi mo ato sukoshi de owacchau kara_

Aa taiyou to tsuki nakayoku shite

_Kanashiku tte sabishiku tte kenka mo iroiro shita ne_

Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka

A small, sad smile graces Ichigo's lips as he watches the performance, feeling a little nostalgic at the meaning of the lyrics. This time, the chorus is sung alone by Rukia.

_Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" sakendeita koto_

Shiteita yo

Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne

Saikou no omoide wo...

The next few lines are split up between Rukia, Karin and Rangiku.

_[Rangiku]_

_Totsuzen no_

_[Rukia]_

_tenkou de_

_**[Karin]**_

**_dou shiyou mo naku  
_**  
Rukia retakes the mic.  
_  
Tegami kaku yo denwa mo suru yo Wasurenaide ne boku no koto wo_

She is then rejoined by the other two.

_**itsumademo futari no kichi no naka  
**__  
_She takes over for the first part of the second last chorus.  
_  
Kimi to natsu no owari zutto hanashite_

Yuuhi wo mite kara hoshi wo nagame

Kimi no hoho wo nagareta namida wa zutto wasurenai

Rangiku takes over the next part.

_Kimi ga saigo made ookikute wo futtekureta koto_

Kitto wasurenai

Dakara kou shite yume no naka de zutto eien ni...

A few memories of seven years ago, flash by Rukia's mind as she along with the other two, sing the last chorus.

**_Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume Ookina kibou wasurenai _**

**_Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite_**

**_Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" sakendeita koto _**

**_Shiteita yo _**

**_Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne _**

**_Saikou no omoide wo..._**

An image of young Rukia and young Ichigo sitting together by the lake fills Rukia's mind as she alone, sings the last line.

_Saikou no omoide wo..._

The last few seconds are filled with instrumental, before finally ending. The crowd is silent for a moment, while Rukia's, along with Ichigo's, minds are filled with memories from the past. The silence passes, and the place is soon filled with roars from the crowd. Words like 'Sing it again!' and 'That was so awesome!' are thrown around the place. The curtains fall down and Rukia looks around the stage. Hiyori high-fives Soi Fon, Karin is smiling instead of her usual smirking, and Rangiku is running towards Rukia as if she is about to hug her. _Oh wait. . . _

"You are so cool, Rukia! That was such an amazing performance! We should all go out for a drink to celebrate!" Rukia is smashed into Rangiku's -ahem- _assets_. Rukia waves her arms madly and gestures for Rangiku to let go. Rukia lets out a huge breath as Rangiku finally lets her go.

"Thank you, Rangiku-san, but I think it's due to the fact that everyone played well. I think you're right, we should go out to celebrate." Rangiku squeals with glee, while the others start to join them in discussing celebration plans.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Ichigo blends in with the crowd as everyone begins to leave the auditorium.

"_Onii-chan_!" The familiar voice reaches his ears, and he stops as he realizes his younger sister walking towards him.

"Oh, hey Yuzu. I didn't see you before." The loud noises muffle Ichigo's words.

"WHAT?" The crowd moves the siblings around, and they start to separate.

"I SAID-" Ichigo sighs and gestures to a near-by bench in a clear area. Yuzu nods in affirmation and they both push in order to get out of the crowd of people. Once reaching the bench and sitting down, Yuzu immediately strikes up a conversation.

"Karin-chan was so good up there! How come I didn't notice you, onii-chan?"

"I arrived late."

"But aren't you normally first to arrive?"

"I had things to do." Yuzu huffs and pouts at his short answers. Suddenly, her eyes light up.

"Oh! And Rukia-chan was wonderful as well! I didn't know she could sing!" Ichigo flinches a little at the sudden mention of the midget.

"Yeah."

"How's it going for you two anyway?" He shrugs.

"Fine. I guess." Yuzu notices the slight discomfort in his voice, but decides not to pry any further.

"I see. By the way,_ Otou-san_ says that he wants the both of you over for dinner sometime!" He declines immediately.

"I don't think- I'm pretty busy these days." Yuzu pouts.

"Eh? Really? Some other time then."

"Yeah." Suddenly, he feels his phone vibrate and takes it out.

_You have one message. _

**_Ichigo,_**

**_Karin invited me and the others to your former house for dinner to celebrate the success of the performance. You should probably be there in order to not raise any suspicions._**

**_From,  
Rukia_**

At first Ichigo tries to hold in a laugh. _Why is she so formal? _But then, he sighs, frustrated. He turns to Yuzu and smiles nervously.

"Looks like we'll be coming over for dinner tonight."

* * *

**A/N: The song was Secret Base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~ (10 years after ver.). Also known as the ending theme of the anime, Anohana (awesome anime by the way). I think the song kind of suits this plot. . . well there are differences of course, but it's the feeling that counts. It's best if you listened to Scandal's cover of the song, since I used that version. Replies to reviews will be next chapter ^_^**

**Here's the English translation:**

With you at the end of summer, our future dreams,  
and our great hope, I won't forget them.  
I believe we'll meet again in August of ten years later.  
Our greatest memory…

We suddenly met on our way home,  
you asked me "Should we go together?"  
I hid my face with my bag in embarrassment  
But I was really really happy

Ah~ fireworks beautifully bloom in the night sky…it's a bit sad…  
Ah~ the wind flows with time

We were happy, we had fun, we went on many adventures and did other things  
inside our secret base

With you at the end of summer, our future dreams,  
and our great hope, I won't forget them.  
I believe we'll meet again in August of ten years later.  
I knew about how you screamed "Thank you!" from the bottom of your heart  
until the very end  
You held your tears back and said goodbye with a smile…it was painful right?  
Our greatest memory…

Ah~ summer vacation will also end in a while…  
Ah~ the sun and moon sure get along with each other

We were sad, lonely, we fought…lots of things happened  
inside our secret base

I knew about how you screamed "Thank you!" from the bottom of your heart  
until the last moment  
You held your tears back and said goodbye with a smile…it was painful right?  
Our greatest memory…

There was nothing we could do about the sudden transfer,  
I'll write you letters and also call you  
Don't forget about us,  
we'll always be inside our secret base

With you at the end of summer, talking…  
we stared at the stars while seeing the sunset  
I won't ever forget the tears that ran down your cheeks,  
I also won't forget how you widely waved your hands  
until the last moment  
That's why…we'll be in each others' dream…forever

With you at the end of summer, our future dreams,  
and our great hope, I won't forget them  
I believe we'll meet again in August of ten years later.  
I knew about how you screamed "Thank you!" from the bottom of your heart  
until the last moment  
You held your tears back and said goodbye with a smile…it was painful right?  
Our greatest memory…

Our greatest memory…

**So as usual, thank you everyone who has been following this story so far. And, to those who have recently reviewed! **

***cough* Things start happening next chapter *cough***

**Heh.**

Until next time. . .


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